SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, March 14, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — The University of Utah is confirming that a “member of the campus community” has been diagnosed with COVID-19.
According to a statement posted online Saturday night, the infected person “is both a staff member and a graduate student” who tested positive after returning from another state.
This is the first confirmed case of COVID-19 on the U of U campus, the statement said.
“The employee, who works in the Counseling Center at the Student Services Building, is self-isolating off campus. Co-workers and friends who had direct contact with this individual have been contacted and are being asked to self-isolate as well.
“We have confirmed that this individual was on campus briefly but did not have direct contact with any students or visit the Counseling Center due to spring break.”
The university said it is “working closely with public health officials to support a full and speedy recovery for this individual.”
As additional cases are diagnosed, the U says it will post as much information as it can on its COVID-19 website.
The University also included detailed information on what campus members should look for and how to react should they fall ill.
If you have experienced the following, you should contact your health care provider concerning possible exposure to COVID-19:
- Fever of more than 100.5 degrees
- New or worsening cough
- New or worsening shortness of breath
- Close contact (6 feet or less) for a duration of 15 minutes or more with someone diagnosed with COVID-19
- Recent travel to a country at a Level 3 CDC designation
Any member of the campus community who is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 should contact a medical provider by phone. Students can contact Student Health at 801-581-6431 to be assessed. If you do not have a health care provider, you can call RedMed at 801-213-3303 or U of U Health at 801-587-0712 to be assessed.
While you are experiencing symptoms, we ask that:
- Employees inform their supervisor, plan to self-isolate at home for 14 days and not report to work
- HRE residents who are remaining on campus should self-report via the form found at housing.utah.edu/coronavirus
In the meantime, all students, faculty and staff are encouraged to:
- Wash their hands with soap and water regularly
- Avoid touching their eyes, nose or mouth
- Regularly clean and disinfect surfaces
- Practice social distancing by limiting exposure to crowds, avoiding handshaking and personal contact with others
For a list of all resources available to the campus community, please visit utah.edu/coronavirus/.
