Dear Students, Faculty, Staff and Families:
Today marks the fourth week of the Fall 2022 semester. It has been an exciting few weeks on campus with a palpable sense of energy from everyone in our community. While this semester feels like a more “typical” semester, it is critically important that our community continue to adhere to public health guidance and take the personal and collective steps necessary to keep our students, faculty and staff healthy and safe.
As I shared in my last communication on Sept. 8, the University remains in close contact with New York State’s Department of Health, Onondaga County Health Department and the City of Syracuse. This includes coordinating our joint efforts to mitigate the prevalence of COVID-19. That is why I am writing today, to remind you and reinforce our public health guidance, to share where things stand on our campus and to inform you about steps you can take to maintain your health and well-being. Today, I will address:
Please continue to visit Syracuse.edu/staysafe for the latest updates, and to review important public health guidance and to access resources and services.
As of today (Monday, Sept. 19), we are tracking a total of 34 active cases among our student population. Of those 34 cases, nine students are isolating in on-campus isolation space, while the remaining 25 are isolating in their off-campus residences. Isolation housing is available to students who live in on-campus housing in Sky Hall 1 and South Campus apartments.
Additionally, there are currently 15 active cases among faculty and staff that have been reported to Human Resources Shared Services. Faculty and staff are educated on isolation protocols when they report their positive test result to HR Shared Services.
As a reminder, Syracuse University has expanded access to self-administered COVID test kits. Every student was provided with four free at-home test kits; and all faculty and staff have access to four free test kits as well through their division, unit or department. Additionally, test kits are available for purchase ($1) in vending machines at the Schine Student Center, Goldstein Student Center, Barnes Center at The Arch, Dineen Hall, Life Sciences Complex and the Mount. Please continue to take advantage of this resource as needed.
We continue to ask our campus community to self-report a positive test. Here’s how you can report a positive test:
For all community members, if you test positive, we ask that you please take the following steps, as informed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
For more information on how to respond, and what actions to take in the event you test positive for COVID-19, please visit the COVID Response Checklists page on our Stay Safe website.
As you are likely aware, a Bivalent COVID vaccine (new booster) is being distributed nationwide. Each state is handling distribution differently. In New York state, the Bivalent booster is being distributed to pharmacy networks first, including Walgreens, Wegmans, Rite Aid, Kinney, CVS, etc. Large-scale access to the booster has not yet been made available to universities and colleges. We plan to order a large supply of the booster, once the state makes it available to us. You may have read media coverage where universities, not located in New York state, are already offering the booster. Please note, that when we are able to do so, we will begin offering the booster.
Until then, I strongly encourage you to schedule an appointment at your preferred area pharmacy. To locate and schedule an appointment, please visit the CDC’s Vaccine Finder webpage.
You are eligible to receive the booster if it has been at least two months since your previous booster dose, or two months since you completed your initial primary vaccine series.
Syracuse University continues to urge our community members to take proactive steps to keep themselves and those around them safe and healthy, particularly as cold and flu season creeps closer. Some simple steps you can take include:
Syracuse University continues to offer a number of resources and services to assist our community in managing COVID. The Stay Safe website has important information on:
The University appreciates your continued attention to and support of our public health guidance and urges you to continue to take the proactive steps necessary to ensure your personal and our collective health and well-being. We will continue to provide occasional updates when new information becomes available or if we sense reminders would be helpful to our community.
Sincerely,
J. Michael Haynie
Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives and Innovation
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