COVID-19 Reporting Guidelines

Confirmed positive COVID-19 test result

• Isolation and quarantine period identified below.

Exposure to someone with COVID-19 (exposure defined as within 6’ for more than 15 minutes over a 24-hour period)

• Recommend wearing a mask around others for 10+ days
• Test on Day 5 if possible
• If you develop symptoms at any point, isolate and test yourself

*HSC students doing clinical rotations will adhere to the COVID guidelines of their respective clinical rotation site.

Criteria to return to campus

Criteria for isolation/quarantine period and when to safely return to campus after have testing POSITIVE

If you’ve had symptoms: 

• Day 0 of isolation is the day of symptom onset, not the date of positive test. Day 1 is the first full day after the day your symptoms started.
• Isolate for 5 full days.
• You may end isolation, after 5 days, if you are fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication and you have improvement of symptoms (Symptoms other than fever do not need to be fully resolved). Date to potentially return to campus with a mask is day 6.
• Recommended to wear a mask around others for 5 more days.

If you’ve had NO symptoms:

• Day 0 is the day you tested positive, not the date you receive your results (sometimes that is not the same day). Day 1 of isolation is the first full day following the day you tested positive.
• Isolate for 5 full days.
• If you develop symptoms within 10 days of when you tested, the count restarts at day 0 on the day of symptom onset.
• You may end isolation after 5 full days if you never develop symptoms. Date to return to campus is day 6.
• Recommended to wear a mask around others for 5 more days.

Note. Prolonged symptom expression in individuals who are immunocompromised may require longer isolation periods.

If Covid-19 Positive

• report to HSCCOVID@unthsc.edu and put #hscsecure in the subject line
• Isolate and contact healthcare provider as needed.
• Notify academic department or supervisor that you are sick.
• Follow guidelines above to determine when you can safely return to campus

How to count out your COVID-19 isolation

• Date of COVID-19 test: day zero (0)
• Dates of isolation: Day one (1) after date test was performed through five full days
• Date to possibly return to campus (if meets other criteria): Day six (6)

Who to contact

• Report any COVID-19 positive test to the University using the private, encrypted University email HSCCOVID@unthsc.edu and type “#hscsecure in the subject line
• Report to supervisor/academic department regarding “illness” and make appropriate work/class arrangements

Please include the following information:

• Date symptoms started
• If no symptoms, then date test was performed (not date test result was received)
• Dates on HSC campus – specifically include dates 2 days before any symptoms or testing and dates following
• Name of supervisor/academic department
• Names of person(s) with whom you had close contact exposures while on campus

Self-screen daily for the following symptoms:

• Fever > 100.4F or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Sore throat
• New loss of taste or smell
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

*To date, most variants cause similar COVID-19 symptoms.

If you are having symptoms:

• Stay home and isolate.
• Notify supervisor/academic department you are ill and not coming to work/school.
• See health care provider for evaluation and COVID testing as indicated.
• If receive a positive COVID-19, notify HSC by sending a secure email to HSCCOVID@unthsc.edu, typing “#hscsecure” in the subject line.