Harvard this week announced that COVID-19-positive students will need to be self-isolated in their dormitories, but they won’t be forced to be moved into university-provided isolation housing. Harvard University Health Services has also decided not to call any close friends of students with positive results. Students and their affiliates will be responsible now for reaching out.
Harvard Crimson ReportsIn accordance with Centers Disease Control policies, the university also reduced its period of isolation for students who are positive for COVID-19 to just five days. The university will require students to keep their masks on for an additional five days following isolation, regardless of whether or not they have symptoms. Current Policies for UniversitiesOtherwise, students must use masks inside all indoor spaces except private ones like dorm rooms.
Students and associates who have not been vaccinated or are asymptomatic will not need to be quarantined if they come in contact with someone who has tested positive. Persons not currently vaccinated, or individuals who have not had a booster vaccine will be asked to keep their quarantine records for five days following any contact with someone who has tested positive. The university will see a shift with these new policies. 98%COVID-19 is a disease that affects approximately 80% of high school students.
This new university policy is being implemented at a moment when Harvard’s COVID-19 cases have soared. The university claims that the new policy will help reduce COVID-19 cases. COVID-19 Testing Dashboard467 Harvard students, and their affiliates, tested positive in the seven-day period. This is an increase of the number who were already testing positive. 45That they were positive for the test before Thanksgiving break.
Giang T. Nguyen from Harvard University Health Services, explained the situation in an email. CrimsonHarvard’s previous policies have been made more challenging by Harvard’s rapid rise in positive cases due to the omicron variation.
Nguyen sent an email saying that the updates to protocols and guidance he has made acknowledge the unimaginable number of cases in our community, which we must support while continuing to take steps reduce transmission risk.
Harvard decided to allow students who have been exposed to COVID-19 to be vaccinated to leave the hospital despite rising cases.
Nguyen said that the Harvard community has nearly universally immunized most infected persons. This means they are experiencing no symptoms and mild symptoms which resolve rapidly.
Harvard requires that all students be present, despite the relaxed quarantining requirements. Completely vaccinatedAnd IncreasedCOVID-19. According to the database, more than 1100 colleges needed the vaccine at the very least for some students or faculty. Chronicle of Higher Education.