Campus update: Vaccine trial update, flu vaccination info, mental health virtual panel, campus operations, self-reported testing data, study abroad/student travel

Monday, September 28, 2020

COVID-19 vaccine trial update

In this video, Dr. Patricia Winokur, executive dean of the Carver College of Medicine and professor of internal medicine—infectious diseases, shares an update on the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics’ COVID-19 vaccine trial.

Flu vaccination information

While it’s not possible to say with certainty what will happen in the fall and winter, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) believes it’s likely that flu viruses and the virus that causes COVID-19 will both be present in our communities.

The CDC recommends that all people age 6 months and older get a yearly flu vaccine.

Students

Undergraduate students and graduate students who are not employees

Student Health will host two free flu vaccination clinics for all students. They will take place:

5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, River Room, Iowa Memorial Union
5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3, River Room, Iowa Memorial Union

Appropriate measures will be in place for social distancing and other COVID-19 precautions. Don’t forget to wear your face mask and bring your student ID.

Students also can schedule a flu vaccine with Student Health by calling 319-335-8394. Walk-ins are not allowed at Student Health.

For more information, go to the Student Health flu vaccine webpage.

Graduate students who are employees

UI regular full-time and part-time (50% or greater) faculty and staff are eligible for a free vaccine. You can get a vaccine one of several ways.

Several flu vaccination clinics will take place across campus through the end of October. Download a schedule of on-campus vaccination clinics for UI faculty and staff (PDF). Extra measures have been taken to promote social distancing and safety. Don’t forget to wear your face mask.

Faculty and staff who are unable to attend a scheduled flu vaccination clinic can obtain their vaccine at UI QuickCare, UI Urgent Care, Iowa River Landing, or from their primary care provider. If you don't have a primary care provider, you can request one by calling 800-777-8442 or use the online appointment form. (Editor's note: This form is no longer active.)

All university employees must complete information in ReadySet before getting a vaccine. Employees can sign into their ReadySet account by using their HawkID and password, or can access ReadySet at the Employee Self Service website>Benefits&Wellness>liveWELL.

For more information, go to the University Human Resources flu vaccination webpage.

Faculty and staff

University of Iowa faculty and staff (non-UI Health Care employees)

UI regular full-time and part-time (50% or greater) faculty and staff are eligible for a free vaccine. You can get a vaccine one of several ways.

For more information, go to the University Human Resources flu vaccination webpage.

UI Health Care employees

All UI Health Care employees and volunteers—regardless of percentage time worked—are eligible and encouraged to obtain a free flu vaccine.

UI Health Care employees must receive the influenza vaccine (or decline it in order to comply with the mandatory flu campaign).

You can get a vaccine one of several ways:

Attend a flu vaccination clinic. Check the schedule to find a flu time when vaccines will be available near your workplace. You can also get vaccinated without an appointment at the University Employee Health Clinic.
Stop by the University Employee Health Clinic at 1097-1 Boyd Tower, at UI Hospitals & Clinics (Elevator A, Level 1). Hours are from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Within UI Health Care, some employees on your unit or in your clinic may be designated to distribute the flu vaccine.
Other ways to get vaccinated: You can get your flu vaccine from your primary care provider, QuickCare, or UI Urgent Care, or outside UI Health Care. Just make sure that you record your participation in the campaign in ReadySet after you receive the vaccine, even if you didn’t receive it through UI Health Care.

For more information, see the flu vaccination webpage on The Loop.

UI to host mental health virtual panel discussion: Managing the Graduate World

As we navigate the fall semester, we continue to face challenges surrounding COVID-19. To support you during this difficult time, the University of Iowa will host a mental health virtual panel discussion from 1 to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 29, for students, staff, and faculty.

The panel will cover these topics that relate to coping during the time of COVID-19:

Career and future anxiety
Setting boundaries and limits and still being successful
Supporting your students while supporting yourself
General mindfulness and resilience
Supporting minoritized identities in majority culture
Starting and maintaining healthy mentoring relationships

Access the forum using this link: https://uiowa.zoom.us/j/94892491871

Password: 031903

The forum will be recorded and captioned for later viewing.

Campus operations

The university continues to work with local and state officials to support and implement policies to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus. What has occurred since the initial spike in late August is a reduction and now a plateau of positive cases, according to self-reported cases by University of Iowa students, faculty, and staff.

While we must remain vigilant, it should be acknowledged that, as a community, we have considerably slowed the spread of the disease. However, if the positive case rates spike and stay high, the university will consider additional actions. These actions will be taken in coordination with the Johnson County Public Health, the Iowa Department of Public Health, and the Board of Regents, State of Iowa.

University of Iowa self-reported COVID-19 testing

These data reflect new cases since Sept. 25, 2020.

The University of Iowa has published an updated snapshot of self-reported positive COVID-19 tests from faculty, staff, and students.

Number of self-reported cases of COVID-19

Students

New cases: 11
Semester-to-date: 1,985

Employees

New cases: 0
Semester-to-date: 44

These numbers reflect only self-reported positive or presumed positive COVID-19 tests from UI faculty, staff, and students on the academic campus since Aug. 18, 2020. These data will not match data reported by UI Hospitals & Clinics or by the Iowa Department of Public Health for several reasons, including different testing time intervals and geographic scope. Students who also are employees of the university are only reported in the student number to avoid double counting. The UI has more than 30,000 students and nearly 30,000 employees. Many employees continue to work remotely but have self-reported to authorize sick leave.

Number of residence hall students in quarantine: 1*

Number of residence hall students in self-isolation: 3**

*Quarantine: Quarantine is used to keep someone who might have been exposed to COVID-19 away from others.

**Self-isolation: Isolation is used to separate people infected with the virus (those who are symptomatic and those with no symptoms) from people who are not infected.

Update on study abroad and student travel

Based on a risk assessment and guided by UI International Travel Policy for Students, UI International Programs does not plan to enroll students in international travel through at least Dec. 15, 2020.

International travel may be on hold, but International Programs continues to develop new ways students can connect with the world. Learn more about international educational opportunities available here in Iowa on the International Programs website.