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Gov. DeWine announces no more quarantining for fully-vaccinated Ohioans

Gov. Mike DeWine announced fully-vaccinated Ohioans no longer need to quarantine after being exposed to COVID-19, unless they work or live in a nursing home or long-term care facility.

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The announcement came during the Governor’s afternoon press conference.

The state’s cases per 100,000 number, which is being used by DeWine to decide when to lift health orders, dropped for the first time last week and has continued on a downward trend through the weekend, based on daily numbers from the state. DeWine has said all health orders will be lifted once Ohio reaches 50 cases per 100,000 people.

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The following announcements were made this afternoon:

  • Ohioans who have been fully vaccinated no longer will have to quarantine if they’ve been exposed to someone with COVID-19, Gov. Mike DeWine said. That is two weeks after a second dose of Pfizer and Moderna or two weeks after a single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
  • “By changing our health order, students 16 and 17 years old who are vaccinated will be able to participate in sports and other activities, even when they have been exposed to someone with COVID,” DeWine said.
  • Nursing homes and long-term care facilities will still need to quarantine staff and residents in accordance with CDC guidelines.
  • About 21 percent of Ohioans 16 and older have been vaccinated, DeWine said.
  • DeWine said the state is starting to see a decline in daily case counts. “It would appear we’re on a downward trend,” he said. “We’re moving in the right direction.”
  • Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff said additional studies are showing that “vaccination is a powerful weapon” with studies showing the Pfizer vaccine is still highly effective after at least six months, including against the variants being seen across the area.
  • DeWine said he’s not surprised with the CDC’s guidance changes on masks. He said its been known that outdoor activities are significantly safer and vaccinations also make activities safer.
  • DeWine said he hasn’t ruled out making changes to health orders based on vaccination rates. DeWine did add that he believes as vaccinations increase that case counts will drop, but will lag several weeks behind people getting shots. This comes as the state continues to target 50 cases per 100,000 residents for two weeks to lift health order. “I still think that this target that I set, 50, can be met,” DeWine said.



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