Here is some essential information about the flu, COVID-19, and other illnesses that may be present within campus and the larger community around us, as shared via email on Sept. 12 from Associate Vice President for Student Success Suzanne McNeil.
Below are a few tips and resources to assist students, faculty, and staff.
Flu Shot Clinics—Save the Date
The University is again pleased to once again offer opportunities for faculty, staff, and students to get their flu shots on campus. Partnering with Hartford HealthCare, flu vaccine clinics will be held on September 25, October 9, and October 16. Location and additional information will be posted to UNotes soon.
What to do if I’m not feeling well?
If you are not feeling well, please wear a mask and monitor your symptoms. If you experience these symptoms, please call Health Services or your personal physician for testing and/or treatment.
Fever (100.4° or higher) or chills
Cough
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Fatigue
Muscle or body aches
Headache
New loss of taste or smell
Sore throat
Congestion or runny nose
Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
Per the CDC, most people with flu or COVID-19 have mild illness and can recover at home with over-the-counter medication. There are several FDA-approved medications that may also be prescribed by a provider for more severe symptoms or illness. If you test positive for COVID-19, the CDC currently recommends isolating for five days to separate yourself from others and prevent the spread of illness.
You can schedule an appointment with Health Services online or call 860.768.6601.
Being Excused from Class
Being seen by a clinical provider does not automatically clear students to miss class. We are encouraging students to communicate with their professors if they need to miss classes for any reason, so they can work together on a plan to make up the work at the professors’ discretion. However, we are seeing an increasing number of students going to health services to request “a note” for missing class.
Below is information regarding what students can expect when seen at Health Services for an illness:
All students presenting with flu-like/COVID-19 symptoms are automatically tested for both illnesses. If a student tests positive for the flu or COVID-19, Health Services will place a medical hold on their account for five days, starting with the day they first started experiencing symptoms OR the day they tested positive. This hold will also notify faculty that the student will be out of in-person classes for the duration of their isolation. Health Services will not provide a written note.
If a student is diagnosed with any other medical condition that requires the student to miss class, notification will be sent to faculty. Health Services will not provide a written note.
It is up to the professor and the student to come up with a plan for asynchronous or synchronous learning, based appropriately on the class.
If non-residential students are seen by a medical professional off campus, they can submit medical documentation directly to Health Services for review. If the documentation indicates that the student must stay out of classes, Health Services will then follow the above process for faculty notification.
To submit medical documentation to Health Services:
• Go to the portal hartford.studenthealthportal.com, which is available in Self-Service
• Log in using your UHart email address and email password
• Go to the menu on right (3 lines) and choose the option for “Document Upload”
• Upload medical documentation
Students, if you have questions regarding the medical documentation, you can email imrecords@hartford.edu.
Again, if you aren’t feeling well, please wear a mask, monitor for symptoms, and contact health services or your personal physician.
Thank you to all for partnering with us to keep everyone healthy and safe on campus.