COVID-19 Health and Wellness Information |
Yesterday, an advisory panel with the Food and Drug Administration voted in favor of emergency authorization for the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, paving the way for the FDA to grant Emergency Use Authorization. This comes after reviewing the safety and efficacy data that was submitted to the panel. We are ready. For the last several months, plans to disseminate an approved vaccine have been underway at the University of Miami.
All employees will need to declare whether they will or will not want to receive a COVID-19 vaccine when it is their turn. Employees at the Medical Campus have already started this process and those on the Coral Gables and Marine campuses will soon be asked to do the same. The process entails logging into Workday and indicating whether or not you want the vaccine during the appropriate phase of distribution. This is critical to our planning efforts. Phases will expand over the coming months to include faculty, staff, and students, followed by the broader community.
News of an approved vaccine is a major milestone in our efforts to combat this pandemic, and getting people vaccinated will mark the start of a significant turning point. However, until we have a significant percent of the community vaccinated we must still continue to wear masks, practice physical distancing, and adhere to our current safety guidelines. We are getting closer but cannot let our guard down this close to the finish line. |
Roy E. Weiss, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Medicine
Chair, Department of Medicine
Chief Medical Officer for COVID-19
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COVID-19 LONG HAULERS
Research has found that as much as 10% of people who get sick with COVID-19 have symptoms that persist for months. Patients commonly reported shortness of breath, heart palpitations, joint pain, cough, and fatigue. They also complained of “brain fog,” or difficulty with concentrating and memory issues. These “COVID-19 long haulers” experienced a broad spectrum of initial illness severity, including mild symptoms. Persistent symptoms are more likely to occur in people who became very ill, people over age 50, and people with two or three chronic illnesses. Researchers are currently investigating who is most likely to have long-term symptoms and why. If you fall into this category please contact your primary care provider or, if you don’t have one, we can
arrange a visit in our COVID-19 Clinic by calling 305-243-4900, option 3. |
COVID-19 GI SYMPTOMS
While cough, shortness of breath, and loss of smell and taste are often listed as COVID-19 symptoms, many patients report gastrointestinal symptoms like loss of appetite, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. There is even research indicating that some only experience GI symptoms. The key takeaway here is to contact your physician if you have GI complaints, particularly if you have direct or indirect contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. The virus has also been found in stool samples, which means that fecal matter could be a source of infection. So, if you do have diarrhea or vomiting, make sure you thoroughly wash your hands, close the toilet lid before flushing, and regularly disinfect the bathroom. And, if possible, do not share the bathroom with others in your
household.
RESPIRATORY EXERCISES Like other muscles in the body, you can strengthen the muscles that help you breathe through exercise. While it will not keep you from getting infected with COVID-19, this exercise improves your ability to cough productively, which could help your body handle the symptoms if you do get sick. And, all it takes is a straw. Start with 10 breaths through the straw. If that seems easy, breathe in and out through the straw for two minutes. Your overall goal should be about 30 minutes a day. |
TRAVEL REMINDERCOVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are rising exponentially across South Florida and the country, so traveling is strongly discouraged. If you must travel, you need to allow enough time to get tested at a community site and receive results before leaving. The CDC recommends getting tested with a viral test 1-3 days before your trip and 3-5 days after your trip and reduce non-essential activities for a full seven days after travel, even if your test is negative. Also, many states and jurisdictions are requiring proof of negative COVID-19 test results to visit. The CDC has a new Travel Planner
, which allows you to look up state restrictions. Regardless, the best way to keep yourself, your family, and your community safe is to stay home. Those who are returning from unavoidable travel must be tested prior to returning to campus. Call 305-243-ONE-U to schedule a testing appointment; those on the Medical Campus should call 305-243-8378.
NEW QUARANTINE GUIDELINES The CDC recently released new quarantine guidelines, which shortened the number of days someone needs to quarantine if they have direct or indirect contact with someone who has tested positive. We are currently interpreting the guidelines and how to implement them on campus and will communicate any policy changes in the near future.
INFORMATION EXCHANGE—OPT OUT AVAILABLEFor employees: Because we are lucky to have a world-renowned health system as part of our University, employee information loaded in Workday is automatically shared with UHealth’s electronic medical record (Epic). This prevents you, as a University employee, from having to repeat information you have already provided and only includes essential fields required for medical purposes such as home address, mobile phone number, and date of birth. This information is only being provided temporarily to clinical professionals and will be deleted from Epic once the pandemic is over if you do not otherwise become a patient of UHealth. If you would like to opt out from pre-populating this information, please email
covidcmo@miami.edu. |
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We will share more health and wellness news in the next edition. |
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COVID-19 RESOURCES
Students, faculty, and staff on the Coral Gables and Marine campuses who are experiencing possible symptoms consistent with, or who have been potentially exposed to, COVID-19 should contact the University’s COVID-19 hotline at 305-243-ONE-U, where UHealth physicians and providers are available to answer your questions and provide telemedicine services if needed.
Members of the Medical Campus should contact 305-243-8378.
For additional University of Miami COVID-19 information and resources, visit coronavirus.miami.edu.
If you are in distress or need counseling services, the Counseling Center provides mental health services through HIPAA-compliant teleconferencing platforms. Counselors are certified and available to help any time by calling 305-284-5511. Additional resources are also available by visiting counseling.studentaffairs.miami.edu. |
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