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Vaccine can get you out of quarantine in Franklin County

MALONE — Franklin County residents who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 are not being asked to quarantine as long as they meet a set of requirements.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently announced updated guidance for vaccinated people who are identified as a close contact of someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19. Effective this past Wednesday — and until formal New York state Department of Health guidance is issued — vaccinated Franklin County residents with a possible or confirmed exposure will not be required to quarantine if:

¯ They are fully vaccinated at the time of their exposure, at least 14 days have passed following receipt of the second dose in a two-dose series, or at least 14 days have passed following receipt of one dose of a single-dose vaccine

¯ They are within 90 days following receipt of the last dose in the series at the time of their exposure

¯ They have remained without symptoms since the current COVID-19 exposure, and

¯ Their vaccination status can be verified in the New York State Immunization Information System, the state’s online portal that allows health care professional access to vaccination histories.

Determining eligibility adds another layer to the contact tracing investigation, which can take some time to verify. Residents will still be required to complete a contact interview to provide the necessary information to complete the verification process and, in some instances, residents may need to quarantine while this is occurring. Residents who receive a call to quarantine and meet the vaccination requirements may call 518-481-1709 to request a release from quarantine.

“We ask that residents be patient with us while we work to ensure the eligibility criteria are met.” Franklin County Public Heath Director Katie Strack said.

While the available vaccines have demonstrated high efficacy at preventing severe and symptomatic COVID-19, there is currently limited information on how much the vaccines might reduce transmission and how long protection lasts. The efficacy of the vaccines against emerging variants is not known. For these reasons, the Franklin County Public Health Department continues to recommend vaccinated people continue to follow current guidance to protect themselves and others by wearing a mask, staying 6 feet or more from people outside of your household, avoiding crowds, avoiding poorly ventilated spaces, covering coughs and sneezes, and washing hands often.

To learn more about the state’s latest travel guidance, visit https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/covid-19-travel-advisory.

Healthcare workers must continue to follow guidance from the state health department. More information at: https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2021/01/hcp-return-to-work-exposed-update-1-7-2021.pdf.

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