Friday, December 18, 2020

Frequently asked questions about the COVID-19 vaccine

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 COVID-19-vaccine timeline and answers questions related to when it might be available for the general public.

Publishing note

The University of Iowa will not publish a COVID-19 Campus Update on the following university holidays:

  • Dec. 25, 2020
  • Jan. 1, 2021

Thank you for doing your part to slow the spread of COVID-19 on campus and in our community this semester. We’ve seen you wearing your masks and watching your distance, and we’re grateful for the sacrifices you’ve made to keep our community healthy. We wish you continued health, safety, and well-being as we enter the new year and hope you’re able to make some time for rest and restorative activities during the holidays.

University of Iowa self-reported COVID-19 testing

These data reflect new cases since Dec. 16, 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: 3
  • Semester-to-date: 2,799

Employees

  • New cases: 6
  • Semester-to-date: 327

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: 0*

Number of residence hall students in self-isolation: 2**

*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.