A weekly update from Vice President for Student Life Jon Dooley with community health information, important resources and announcements of any changes to protocols.
Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,
Key information in this week’s Community Health Update:
- COVID-19 information
- Bivalent COVID-19 booster clinic Monday
- COVID-19 testing information
- Community health status update
COVID-19 information
After reaching a peak last Tuesday, the daily number of new positive COVID-19 reports has dropped significantly over the past seven days. Similar to previous reports, most individuals who test positive continue to describe mild symptoms.
With a five-day isolation period, many individuals who previously tested positive have already returned to classes and work. The CDC guidance on ending isolation indicates that individuals with mild symptoms can end isolation after day five if they are fever-free for 24 hours (without using fever-reducing medication) and their symptoms are improving. Individuals who leave isolation after a positive test must wear a mask indoors and around others through day 10.
Use of masks will continue to be an important tool in the prevention of transmission. As a reminder, by university policy, masks are required for:
- Anyone experiencing COVID-like symptoms or any other respiratory illness
- Five additional days after completion of an isolation period after a positive test
- Ten days for close contacts of an individual with a positive diagnosis
- Everyone in Student Health Services, the asymptomatic testing center at McCoy Commons, the Faculty/Staff Health & Wellness Clinic, and the School of Health Sciences medical outreach programs
Elon’s Infectious Disease Response Team continues to closely monitor conditions and consult with health officials from Alamance County Health Department, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, and Cone Health to determine if additional campus mitigation measures are warranted. Please review the University COVID-19 website for a reminder about the important information about masks, testing, and information about positive cases and isolation.
Bivalent COVID-19 booster clinic Monday
Last week the FDA approved an updated bivalent COVID-19 vaccine booster that includes protection against the newest BA.4 and BA.5 variants. The CDC has announced its recommendation for use of the booster and updated information on its COVID-19 vaccine website.
The university will sponsor a clinic with the new COVID-19 booster (Pfizer) this Monday, September 12. The clinic is available for students, faculty, and staff. Limited doses will be available at this initial clinic and advance registration is required.
Additional clinics are being planned for the fall semester and will include both the new COVID-19 booster and the annual flu vaccine. Information will be available on the Campus Health Status & Alerts website and will be shared in future email updates.
COVID-19 testing resources
The fall schedule for asymptomatic testing at McCoy Commons 207 (Oaks Neighborhood) is:
Monday – Thursday: 9 a.m. – noon and 1 – 4 p.m.
Friday: 9 a.m. – noon
Check your test results at: www.elon.edu/myreadiness.
Sick visits, including diagnostic testing for those with COVID-19 symptoms, are available for students by appointment at Student Health Services and for staff and faculty by appointment at the Faculty/Staff Health & Wellness Clinic. Students, faculty and staff who are ill and schedule appointments will be seen and evaluated by a medical provider.
Other testing options include purchasing at-home antigen tests at local pharmacies or stores (which may be reimbursable by insurance plans) or utilizing local off-campus testing sites. For information on local testing options, visit the NC Department of Health & Human Services COVID-19 test locator page.
Starting this week, at-home antigen tests are also available for purchase at Fountain Market in Clohan Hall.
Community health status update
Each Tuesday afternoon by 4 p.m. the university COVID-19 webpage is updated with information about the status of COVID-19 case reporting and on-campus testing. The site also includes the link to the latest information about the CDC COVID-19 community levels, which are currently at medium in Alamance County and high in Guilford County.
The next Community Health Update is scheduled for next Wednesday, September 14, by 10:45 a.m.
—
Jon Dooley, Ph.D.
Vice President for Student Life