Throughout Fall Semester, Vice President for Student Life Jon Dooley is providing regular email update messages to keep students and parents informed about the efforts for a healthy semester.
Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,
Summary of updates in this message
- Status update on campus and in Alamance County
- Uploading documentation from flu shots or COVID-19 vaccine booster shots
- Fall Break – travel, testing, and campus services
- At-home, over-the-counter, and off-campus COVID-19 tests
Status Update
The university dashboard is updated on the Healthy Elon website each weekday morning.
- 21 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed among Elon students and employees over the past week, October 6-12. This compares to 11 new cases the previous 7-day period.
- As of yesterday, October 12, there were an estimated 26 active cases among Elon students and employees. This compares to 12 active cases a week ago.
- The university has reported a cluster of 15 cases to local and state public health officials, as required by the state. The cluster is connected to unregistered travel October 1-3 among members of a co-ed business fraternity.
- All North Carolina counties remain in the high community transmission category. The CDC and state health officials strongly recommend wearing masks in public indoor settings, including stores, restaurants, and other businesses.
Uploading documentation from flu shots or COVID-19 vaccine booster shots
The deadline for students to receive their annual flu vaccine is Friday, October 29. Students who receive a flu shot from an off-campus provider over the Fall Break are encouraged to upload proof of that vaccination to the Phoenix Health portal right away.
All students, faculty, and staff who have been fully vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for six months or more are now eligible to receive a COVID-19 booster shot. The CDC has authorized and recommended booster vaccine shots to strengthen and extend protections against severe illness. There is no university requirement for booster shots at this time, but Elon students, faculty, and staff can upload vaccine documentation here by selecting “booster shot” under the status drop-down menu.
Fall Break – Travel, Testing, and Campus Services
With Fall Break for undergraduate students this week, October 14-17, many individuals may be traveling. Please carefully review the CDC guidance for domestic U.S. travel during COVID-19 and use the travel planner tool to learn more about COVID-19 travel restrictions, guidance, and resources in your destination.
Individuals may want to test before and/or after travel. Testing resources on and off campus include:
- Asymptomatic testing is available in the McCoy Commons, Oaks Neighborhood, on the following schedule this week:
- Wednesday, October 13: 1 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
- Thursday. October 14: 9 a.m. – noon
- Symptomatic testing for students is available at Student Health Services in the Ellington Center on the following schedule this week:
- Wednesday, October 13: 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- Thursday and Friday, October 14 and 15: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
- Saturday and Sunday, October 16 and 17: 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
- The regular schedule for testing will resume next week and is available on the testing page of the Healthy Elon website, along with local testing resources.
- Note that wait times for walk-up testing immediately before and after Fall Break may be a bit longer than normal.
University offices are closed on Friday, October 16. Several campus services will be available throughout the break or will have adjusted hours of operation.
At-Home, Over-the-Counter, and Off-Campus COVID-19 Tests
Students who test positive with an over-the-counter or at-home COVID-19 test are required to attend walk-in symptomatic testing in Student Health Services to verify the test. Report positive test results from an off-campus testing facility or over-the-counter/at-home test results to Student Care & Outreach by emailing quarantine-support@elon.edu.
The Healthy Elon website provides important health and wellness information for students and employees, including what to do if you feel ill, test positive, or have close contact with a positive case. The site also offers responses to frequently asked questions about academics, vaccination, and employee information.
The next email update will be sent by Wednesday, October 20, at 10:45 a.m., unless an additional message is warranted before then. Detailed information is always available on the Healthy Elon website.
—
Dr. Jon Dooley
Vice President for Student Life