COVID-19 Health and Wellness Information |
As you read this week’s message, you may be making plans for the long holiday weekend, with Labor Day marking the unofficial end of summer. Our Jewish members of the University community will also be marking Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, starting Monday at sundown. Whatever your faith, please keep in mind that any observances should take into account the safety measures we have been repeating: do not gather in large groups and wear masks, even if vaccinated.
Our primary prevention measures against spreading and contracting COVID-19 are simple – get vaccinated and wear masks. Testing is our secondary prevention measure. This allows us to quickly contain and stop the potential spread of the virus before it infects more people.
From the very start of this pandemic, our primary goal has been to keep our University and greater South Florida community safe. Rest assured that will always be our focus, and I will be here to answer your questions.
Roy E. Weiss, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Medicine
Chair, Department of Medicine
Chief Medical Officer for COVID-19 |
MASK UP!Wearing a mask is one of our primary methods to stop the spread of COVID-19. But you have to wear the right type in the right way to protect yourself and others.
Generally, you should wear a mask that fits snugly around your nose and chin, and the sides of your face.
Some guidelines:
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DO NOT wear gaiters unless folded to make two layers.
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DO NOT wear masks with exhalation valves or vents, or face shields.
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DO NOT wear masks with gaps around the side of the face or nose.
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DO wear cloth masks with a nose wire, multiple layers of breathable fabric that blocks light when held up to a bright light source.
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DO wear disposable masks that have a nose wire and multiple layers of non-woven fabric.
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DO wash your hands or use hand sanitizer before putting on a mask.
Please remember that masks must be worn in all public indoor locations, including classrooms, and clinical and non-clinical areas of all campuses, regardless of your vaccination status. Masks are also required outdoors in groups larger than four on the Coral Gables and Marine campuses.
WHY QUARANTINE? Students who test positive for COVID-19, have symptoms consistent with the virus, or who have been potentially exposed to someone with COVID-19 are required to self-isolate or quarantine. Many of the students observing these rules are what we call a PUI, a “person under investigation.”
As part of our efforts to stop any potential spread of the virus, it’s very important that any “person under investigation” is kept isolated or quarantined until we can definitely know they are not carrying the virus. If exposed to someone with COVID-19, someone may not readily appear to be ill and may not even test positive for the virus, but still potentially spread virus particles. That’s why we must observe these guidelines that are based on public health best practices.
Regardless of your vaccination status, the isolation period for students following a positive test result is 10 days. For an unvaccinated person, the quarantine period following a close contact or known exposure is seven days, assuming a negative test result five to six days after exposure. Any person who has symptoms consistent with COVID-19, even if initially testing negative, will still be required to quarantine for seven days, assuming there is a second negative test result five to six days after symptom onset. |
There is no quarantine period for a vaccinated person who has experienced the same exposure but testing and masking is required.
The full policy, which is updated as needed, can be found here.
HOW DO I KNOW IF I’M IMMUNOCOMPROMISED?There has been a recent update from the Centers for Disease Control advising those who are moderately to severely immunocompromised to get a booster shot of the same mRNA vaccine they originally received. The reason is recent studies indicate some immunocompromised people don’t always build the same level of immunity after vaccination as those who are not immunocompromised.
“Immunocompromised” is a medical term indicating that a person’s immune system, which fights infections, is not working at 100% capacity. This can be due to a genetic problem where the immune cells don’t work or it can be acquired when a person is given medication which is meant to suppress the immune system due to a variety of diseases that run from cancer to asthma and inflammatory bowel disease. Whatever the cause, the CDC reports
those who are immunocompromised have been shown to make up a large portion of the “breakthrough cases” and may not achieve the same level of protection from the standard vaccine schedule. That’s why a third shot—a booster—is now recommended for this group to extend the time of immunity.
MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES AND HOW THEY WORKMonoclonal antibodies are molecules produced in a laboratory, engineered to serve as a substitute for the antibodies the body would otherwise make that can restore, enhance, or mimic the immune system’s attack on pathogens. They’re given as an infusion through the vein to help the immune system recognize and respond more effectively to the COVID-19 virus. The FDA granted Emergency Use Authorization for patients who are at high risk for complications of COVID who test positive but before they are sufficiently ill to require admission to the hospital.
The antibodies have been shown to be effective in those who are immunocompromised who have been exposed to the virus but are not yet positive (post-exposure prophylaxis). Monoclonal antibody treatment should be given as soon as possible after an exposure in an immunocompromised patient or after a positive viral test for COVID-19 and within 10 days of symptoms.
Monoclonal antibodies are a treatment and meant to be used following exposure to the virus. They are not a substitute for the vaccine.
THE ONLY CONSTANT IS CHANGEWe’ve all probably heard the adage, “The only constant in life is change,” and there’s no doubt the pandemic has proven that to be true in various ways. We have all had to adapt how we live, love, interact with one another, and conduct business in ways that keep us safe. Indeed, we have had to shift our University guidelines and policies in response to the virus to make sure our faculty, staff, students, and patients are as safe as possible. We know it’s been challenging at times and thank each of you for your flexibility and understanding.
If you didn’t notice, the virus itself has kept adapting—mutating over time. If a virus can do that to survive, surely, we are all smarter than a virus and can adapt as needed to eventually squash it from our daily lives. As we’ve seen in all facets of life, it’s our ability to adapt to change, our resilience, and the human spirit that makes us successful as a species and special as humans. It is a great skill that will always serve us in our professional and personal lives.
Working together, we will overcome COVID-19. |
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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 a student 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.
If you are a faculty or staff members in need of support visit fsap.miami.edu. |
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