COLUMBUS — Citing the rising number of COVID-19 vaccinations in Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine has announced a change to state policy regarding quarantining after exposure to COVID-19.
He says fully vaccinated residents no longer need to quarantine themselves if they’re exposed to someone with the coronavirus.
He credits the effectiveness of the three coronavirus vaccines with giving state health officials the confidence to make the change.
“This vaccine is extremely powerful. It is extremely effective. It gives us a lot more freedom,” DeWine said during a pandemic briefing Tuesday afternoon
The Republican governor says the change also means teens who are vaccinated can participate in sports and other activities even after exposure. He says more than 20% of 16- and 17-year-olds have been vaccinated.
The Health Department says four of every 10 people have received at least one vaccine dose and three out of 10 are fully vaccinated.
An individual is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose of Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines or the single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, DeWine said.
DeWine says the change applies to all adults except those in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, or other group care settings.
The announcement of the change came on the same day that U.S. health officials said that fully vaccinated Americans don’t need to wear masks outdoors anymore unless they are in a big crowd of strangers and unvaccinated people can drop face coverings in some cases, too.
DeWine said the change was not a surprise.
“We know being outside is much, much, much safer. We know that being vaccinated is much, much safer,” he said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the updated guidance Tuesday. Previously the CDC had been advising that people should wear masks outdoors if they are within 6 feet of each other.
The change comes as more than half of U.S. adults have gotten at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine, and more than a third have been fully vaccinated.
The state reported Tuesday that 3.6 million Ohioans, 30.71% of the state’s total population, were fully immunized against the disease.
There were 1,560 new cases reported, bringing the total number of Ohioans sickened by the coronavirus to 1,067,262 and 19,188 have died.
An additional 179 hospital admissions brought the total number of residents being treated for COVID-19 in Ohio hospitals to 1,237. A total of 59,992 people have been hospitalized during the pandemic.
The state’s seven-day positivity rate has dropped to 3.4%. There have been 185.8 cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 residents reported in the past two weeks.