The Peru Gazette

 Clinton County Health Department

Plattsburgh, February 18, 2021. Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced updated guidance for vaccinated persons with an exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19. 

“We received word yesterday, from our partners at the state, that this guidance can be adopted by local health departments if they choose to do so,” stated John Kanoza, Director of Public Health in Clinton County. “The Clinton County Health Department (CCHD) is moving ahead with adopting this guidance.” 

Effective February 18, 2021, and until formal New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) guidance is issued, vaccinated Clinton County residents with an exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 will not be required to quarantine if they meet ALL of the following criteria: 

 They are fully vaccinated at the time of their exposure (i.e., ≥2 weeks following receipt of the second dose in a 2-dose series, or ≥2 weeks following receipt of one dose of a single-dose vaccine); 

 They are within 3 months following receipt of the last dose in the series at the time of their exposure; 

 They have remained asymptomatic since the current COVID-19 exposure and; 

 Their vaccination status can be verified in the New York State Immunization Information System (NYSIIS), 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. 

“We ask that residents be patient with us while we work to ensure the eligibility criteria are met. We are committed to offering this leniency but want to be sure we are still protecting our community and minimizing the spread of COVID-19,” stated Mandy Snay, Director of Health Planning and Promotion. 

While the available COVID-19 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. In addition, the efficacy of the vaccines against emerging variants is not known. For these reasons, CCHD continues to recommend vaccinated persons continue to follow current guidance to protect themselves and others. “This includes wearing a mask, staying at least 6 feet away from others, avoiding crowds, avoiding poorly ventilated spaces, covering coughs and sneezes, and washing hands often,” added Mr. Kanoza. “CCHD will also continue to monitor new CDC and NYSDOH guidance and will adjust its local approaches as new information becomes available.” 

At this time, NYSDOH has not issued new travel guidelines for vaccinated individuals. To learn more about the current NYSDOH Travel Advisory, visit https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/covid-19-travel-advisory.