On February 15, 2021, the Indiana Department of Health (IDH) issued updated quarantine guidance for fully vaccinated long-term care staff based on recent CDC guidance.
Under IDH’s guidance, fully vaccinated long-term care staff do not need to quarantine for 14 days if exposed to COVID-19. However, fully vaccinated long-term care residents must still continue to quarantine for 14 days if exposed to COVID-19.
Fully vaccinated long-term care staff means the following:
- At least two (2) weeks have passed following the receipt of the second dose in a two (2) dose vaccine series (e.g., Pfizer, Moderna), or at least two (2) weeks have passed following the receipt of one (1) dose in a one (1) dose vaccine series (e.g., Johnson and Johnson);
- Are within three (3) months of the last dose in their vaccine series, or within the timeframe the CDC recommends should the CDC extend the three (3) month timeframe as additional data comes out; and
- Are asymptomatic after the exposure.
Vaccinated staff should still be monitored for symptoms after a known or suspected exposure. Anyone who develops COVID-19 symptoms after an exposure, regardless of vaccine status, should be considered a presumed positive and treated according to IDH guidelines.
Unvaccinated long-term care staff should continue to follow the 14-day quarantine guidance, unless a facility is operating under contingency staffing—then seven (7) to ten (10) day quarantine timelines may be utilized. For a summary on the quarantine guidance for unvaccinated long-term care staff, please click here.
A Return to Work Decision Tree for Health Care Personnel summarizing these changes and outlining the appropriate quarantine timelines based on various circumstances can be found here.