College of Medicine Pandemic Response Friday Round-Up – Week of Feb. 8-12
College of Medicine leaders updated faculty, staff and students on Feb. 12 about the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic:
College of Medicine increases on-site research capacity effective Feb. 15: The College of Medicine will transition on-site laboratory research from phase 3 to a modified phase 4 on Monday, Feb. 15. Dr. Kevin Black, interim dean, and Dr. Leslie Parent, vice dean for research and graduate studies, outlined the guiding principles for phase 4 in an email to faculty, staff and students on Feb. 12. The information is also available on the dedicated coronavirus section of the college website. Despite phase 4 increasing research capacity, all individuals who can work remotely should continue to do so to minimize the population density in the college. All safety precautions remain unchanged even though the majority of the College of Medicine’s workforce and trainees are vaccinated.
Updated Interim Employee Quarantine Policy Effective Monday, Feb. 15: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued updated guidance on Feb. 10 on quarantine exclusions for vaccinated individuals. Effective Monday, Feb. 15, College of Medicine employees who have received both vaccine injections more than two weeks ago can return to work without quarantining if they have been exposed to a COVID-positive individual. College of Medicine employees should contact Penn State Occupational Medicine for quarantine and travel-related issues or if you develop symptoms of COVID-19 by calling 814-863-8492. Students should continue to call Student Health at 717-531-5998.
New Inpatient COVID-19 Elective: A new “Inpatient COVID-19 elective” will be introduced this month that provides fourth-year medical students the opportunity to directly manage COVID-19 patients on the inpatient setting TURF teams, supervised by our hospitalist physicians. The Inpatient COVID-19 elective is specifically targeted to Phase III students to prepare them for internship where they may be responsible for patients with COVID-19.
Mandatory Student Testing to Take Place Next Week – Feb. 16 and 17: Mandatory testing of all COM students will occur Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 16 and 17, at the University Conference Center from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Students should check their emails for more information from their program coordinators.
Required Surveillance Testing for Employees and Students: The University will conduct random daily surveillance testing of approximately 2% of the University’s on-campus population across all campuses. This testing is scheduled to begin March 1. Employees and students who are randomly selected to participate in surveillance testing will receive an email indicating they have been selected and must complete a COVID-19 test. Please note that students will need to complete both the random surveillance testing and required campus testing.
Lunch and Learn: “The COVID-19 Vaccine: Your Questions Answered” Feb. 16: Dr. Umar Farooq, Dr. Ben Fogel and Dr. Shawn Phillips will present “The COVID-19 Vaccine: Your Questions Answered” Tuesday, Feb. 16, from noon to 1 p.m. The virtual session is part of Clinical Documentation Improvement’s Lunch and Learn Series. Zoom link: https://pshealth.zoom.us/j/97739815415?pwd=R2NsVXlLTkhYT1JseHIvYnhPQ3NjUT09
COVID-19 Resources for College of Medicine Faculty, Staff, Trainees and Students: See the latest policies, information and resources for both on-campus and remote working and learning by visiting med.psu.edu/coronavirus.
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