Health Services update for October 8, 2021

Mark Parisi, director of counseling and health services, sent the following weekly update to students today (October 8, 2021):

Dear students,

This week, we had 0 employees and 2 students reporting a positive COVID-19 test for a total of 3 active cases. The COVID-19 Dashboard is updated as new cases arise, and you can view it at any time.

Illness on campus: Please be aware that while our number of positive COVID-19 cases has remained low, there are many more cases of other cold illnesses occurring on our campus. Health Services is seeing students reporting with sore throats, congestion, coughs, and other related cold and flu symptoms. The majority of these cases are NOT COVID-19 infections. Still, we urge students to contact Health Services to be tested to be sure and keep our community safe. In addition, students who are in quarantine do not necessarily have COVID-19 but may be in quarantine to monitor for symptoms given that they may have had a close contact with a positive case.

Booster vaccine doses: NYS has announced it is following CDC guidance regarding the recommending of booster vaccine doses for those who have received the Pfizer vaccine and meet certain eligibility criteria. Visit the NYS DOH webpage on the new guidance to see if you or a family member may be eligible for the booster shot.

Get vaccinated and win stuff: If you have not been vaccinated yet or were recently, you can take advantage of a sweepstakes program New York State Governor Kathy Hochul has announced in partnership with New York’s professional football teams.

Reporting positive COVID test results: Please remember if you are tested for COVID-19 off campus, you need to report POSITIVE test results to covidresults@strose.edu.

Mandatory testing: Students who are not fully vaccinated – you are considered fully vaccinated 14 days after your second dose of the vaccine ¬– regardless of exemption status are required to participate in mandatory testing. You will be notified each week if you need to sign up for testing the following week. If you have not provided documentation of your full vaccination status and are not seeking an exemption, you will have a hold placed on your account preventing you from registering for Spring 2022 classes until we receive that information.

If you desire testing for COVID-19: COVID-19 testing is available through Health Services, and you should call 518.454.5244 or email healthservices@strose.edu.

Required documentation: Please remember to send your vaccine card and your test results to covidresults@strose.edu. If you still need to find a vaccination site, here are the local options available.

COVID Emotional Support Hotline: The New York State Department of Health offers a COVID-19 Emotional Support Hotline at 844.863.9314.

COVID Dashboard: 2 students and 1 employee have reported positive COVID-19 test results this week, and we currently have 3 cases that are considered active. As a reminder, you can find the tally of positive COVID-19 cases on campus by viewing our COVID-19 Dashboard. It will be updated as new cases are reported.

Reporting possible exposure: Please remember if you have been exposed to anyone that has tested positive for COVID-19, or you suspect you may have been exposed but are unsure, email covidresults@strose.edu to notify the College and discuss your particular situation so we can best advise you on how to proceed. Remember, this directive applies whether the positive case is affiliated with Saint Rose or not.

Treatment at Health Services: For any non-urgent medical issue, students can call 518.454.5244 or email healthservices@strose.edu for assistance, and their cases will be triaged by our LPN or nurse practitioners. Based on the presenting concerns, the triage outcome may lead to a telehealth or in-person appointment with the nurse practitioner. The Health Center will be open for student appointments starting Monday, August 30.

Treatment at the Counseling Center: Students may be experiencing emotional distress in response to the impact of the pandemic on their daily lives. Please call our center at 518.454.5200 or email us at counseling@strose.edu. Students can speak with a counselor through a phone session, Zoom session, or in-person session. The Counseling Center is located on the third floor of Saint Joseph Hall.

More COVID-19 information: You can find the most current COVID-19 information on the CDC’s COVID-19 webpage. You can always call the New York State Department of Health Novel Coronavirus Hotline at 888.364.3065 and ask any question you have regarding COVID-19.

You can view COVID-19 data for the Capital Region (and by county) on the New York State Department of Health’s COVID-19 dashboard.

New York State has put out a COVID-19 contact tracing app that you can download to your phone. This app will be used to help notify you if you have been in close contact with someone that has tested positive for COVID-19.

As always, if you have any concerns or questions, please contact the College’s Health Services at 518.454.5244 or healthservices@strose.edu.

Sincerely,

Mark Parisi
Director of Counseling and Health Services