Symptoms & Reporting
People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported — ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2–14 days after having been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 over the past 14 days:
Fever or chills
Diarrhea
Cough
New loss of taste or smell
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Sore throat
Fatigue
Congestion or runny nose
Muscle or body aches
Nausea or vomiting
Headache
This list does not include all possible symptoms. See the CDC website for more information. Even if you do not think you have COVID-19, please do not come to campus if you are ill.
Action Plans
Students Experiencing COVID-19 Symptoms
If you are experiencing potential COVID-19 symptoms, suspect you have COVID-19, or have had close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19, follow these three simple steps. The scope of this process identifies the organizations involved and actions taken to respond, coordinate and communicate accordingly.
Assess and Connect
After taking the Daily Self-Assessment Survey, if you answered yes to any of the symptom-related questions, please contact your health care provider, University Health Services (UHS) at 412-268-2157.
After hours non-emergency medical advice can be accessed by contacting TeamHealth at 1-844-881-7176.
UHS will consult with you to assess your circumstance and determine the next steps based on this assessment, including if you should be tested for COVID-19.
If you are experiencing a medical emergency, contact 911.
Report
If you are probable or confirmed positive for COVID-19, you must report this information to Community Health and Well-Being (CHWB) at CHWB@andrew.cmu.edu.
If UHS is your health care provider, they will assist you in reporting your information to CHWB. Information regarding your circumstances will only be shared as necessary for the university to safeguard the community and to comply with any applicable laws or government orders.
Care and support
If you have a probable or confirmed COVID-19 case, it is important for you to remain isolated to care for yourself and the community. You will need to be cleared by your health care provider in order to return to on-campus classes, work or activities.
If you live on campus, you will be provided with housing support to isolate during recovery. Clinical care coordination, emotional and academic support will be offered.
UHS will conduct contact tracing. This consists of an interview where you will be required to provide as much information as possible about close contacts (within 6 ft. for more than 15 minutes) in the days preceding your diagnosis. Those contacts will be notified. Your identity will be protected during this process.
Faculty and Staff Experiencing Symptoms
If you are experiencing potential COVID-19 symptoms, suspect you have COVID-19, or have had close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19, follow these three simple steps. The scope of this process identifies the organizations involved and actions taken to respond, coordinate and communicate accordingly.
Assess and Connect
After taking the Daily Self-Assessment Survey, if you answered yes to any of the symptom-related questions, please contact your primary health care provider. They will provide you guidance in treating symptoms and keeping others around you safe.
If you were planning to be on campus, but exhibit COVID-19 symptoms, you must stay home. If you need assistance finding a primary health care provider, call the number for your insurance carrier on your insurance card for assistance.
If you are experiencing a medical emergency, contact 911.
REPORT
If you are probable or confirmed positive for COVID-19, you must report this information to Community Health and Well-Being (CHWB) at CHWB@andrew.cmu.edu.
CHWB will inform Office of Human Resources (OHR) of the report in order for you to be provided guidance regarding leave and other benefits.
Information regarding your circumstances will only be shared as necessary for the university to safeguard the community and to comply with any applicable laws or government orders.
University Health Services (UHS) will conduct contact tracing to identify any close contacts related to the university. UHS works closely with Allegheny County Health Department who coordinates any further tracing efforts for non-CMU affiliates. This consists of an interview where you will be required to provide as much information as possible about close contacts (within 6 ft. for more than 15 minutes) in the days preceding your diagnosis. Those contacts will be notified. Your identity will be protected during this process.
Get Support
You will not be able to return to on-site work until having received clearance by a health care provider and provide documentation to OHR at leavemgmt@andrew.cmu.edu.
OHR has provided guidance about supports and available options (pdf).
If Someone Reports COVID-19 Symptoms
When a CMU student, faculty or staff member reaches out to you as their point-person after experiencing potential COVID-19 symptoms, follow these three simple steps. The scope of this process identifies the organizations involved and actions taken to respond, coordinate and communicate accordingly.
Inform
Provide helpful information by pointing them to CMU's COVID-19 Updates Website.
Reassure them that there is a team to help them through this.
Connect
Connect them to Community Health and Well-Being (CHWB) and University Health Services (UHS) to kick off the support process by emailing CHWB@andrew.cmu.edu.
Include the individual on the email. Information regarding the individual's circumstances will only be shared as necessary for the university to safeguard the community and to comply with any applicable laws or government orders.
CHWB (and UHS) will consult with the individual directly to assess their circumstance and determine the next steps based on this assessment. For employees, CHWB will notify the Office of Human Resources (OHR) to provide support. UHS will provide support to students.
If the assessment indicates a probable or confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19, CHWB will activate Communication Protocols. This informs stakeholders — including UHS/Allegheny County Health Department (contact tracing), Executive Management Team (EMT), deans/department heads, COVID Coordination Team (CCT) Communication Representative(s) for classroom notifications, Facilities Management and Campus Services (FMCS) and Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) — and initiates appropriate safety protocols.
Respond
Follow any instructions provided to you as a point-person by CHWB, FMCS, UHS, OHR or other members of university leadership.
Continue to provide support to the individual as appropriate.
FMCS, with information from CHWB, will assess the need for a closure of the impacted space(s).
If necessary, OHR will support the deans/department heads/Pandemic Safety Officer (PSO) in communicating status of a case with impacted unit.
Communication Plan
When Someone in Your Class or Lab Tests Positive
In the event that an individual attending an in-person class or lab is diagnosed with COVID-19, faculty and students should be aware of these steps. The scope of this process identifies the organizations involved and actions taken to respond, coordinate and communicate accordingly. It is important to note that there may be several reasons why an individual may be absent from the classroom. Faculty and students should not speculate or form conjecture in this regard and are expected to respect the privacy of individuals.
initial Notification and tracing
If a student tests positive or is deemed probable for COVID-19, University Health Services (UHS) receives the result/case (if UHS performed the testing) and initiates contact and space tracing.
Once the contact and space tracing interview with the student is completed, Community Health and Well-Being (CHWB) is contacted with results.
CHWB notifies: College Liaison (CL), Facilities Management and Campus Services (FMCS) and COVID Coordinator Team (CCT).
The contact tracing interview is where a student diagnosed with COVID-19 will be required to provide as much information as possible about close contacts (within 6 ft. for more than 15 minutes) in the days preceding their diagnosis. Space tracing is where the student provides information about where they have been on campus for longer than 15 minutes.
Students and faculty members sharing a classroom are not considered to be “close contacts” for contact tracing purposes due to the university’s mitigation strategy for preventing spread in classrooms, which includes requiring the instructor and students to maintain physical distancing and wear facial coverings, as well as upgraded ventilation systems, enhanced cleaning protocols and reconfigured classroom furniture.
cleaning and communication
FMCS, with information from CHWB, will assess the need for closure and disinfection of space(s).
FMCS will notify:
Department with ownership of space(s) if closure coordination is required
Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) if spaces are laboratory
For Classrooms:
CCT will send an email notification to the instructor of record and students on the class roster to notify of positive case and to contact CHWB with any questions. Faculty are asked to forward to additional faculty or TAs if applicable.
For Labs:
EHS notifies principal investigator (PI) of positive case in lab and ask that they inform their lab members and to contact CHWB with any questions.
EHS coordinates with PI to close lab space (if applicable) and reassess cleaning protocols.
accommodation and support
Clinical care coordination, emotional and academic support are offered to students diagnosed with COVID-19.
The CL will advise the student that their advisor, supervisor, faculty and fellow students listed on the class roster have been informed concerning the positive case, but no identifying information will be shared.
The CL will encourage the student to contact faculty, etc. if desired and would assist student in doing so if requested.