Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information and Updates

COVID-19 is a new coronavirus that has not been previously identified and symptoms include fever and lower respiratory tract symptoms such as coughing and shortness of breath. Currently, the incubation period is thought to be up to 14 days, meaning an individual can be infected, contagious, and showing minimal or no symptoms during this time. The CDC guidance indicates COVID-19 is primarily spread from person-to-person through respiratory droplets with close contact, which is similar to influenza and other respiratory pathogens. However, infection from fomites or other sources of the body is yet unknown. 

Anyone who is symptomatic with respiratory symptoms (cough or shortness of breath) or fever should self-isolate and seek testing. Faculty and staff, or students who are at home away from campus, should contact their primary care physician for further guidance. Students who are on campus or in the local area should email Student Health and Counseling. Faculty and staff should notify their supervisor of any respiratory illness or positive COVID-19 testing

The virus that causes COVID-19 is spreading from person-to-person. Someone who is actively sick with COVID-19 can spread the illness to others; even those who may have minimal symptoms can spread COVID-19. That is why CDC recommends that those with active infectionbe isolated either in the hospital or at home (depending on how sick they are) until they are better and no longer pose a risk of infecting others.

Current Philadelphia Department of Public Health guidance recommends isolation of known infected individuals until both of the following criteria are met:

1) At least 3 days after resolution of fever after stopping fever-reducing medications (e.g., Tylenol or Advil) and improvement in respiratory symptoms and
2) At least 10 days have passed since symptoms have started

Those who are close contacts of a confirmed COVID-19 case must stay home and self-isolate for 14 days after their last contact with the case, regardless of whether they develop symptoms.

Close contact is defined as:

1) Being within 6 feet of a COVID-19 case for 10 minutes or longer or
2) Having direct contact with infectious secretions of a COVID-19 case (e.g., being coughed on).

Someone who has been released from isolation is not considered to pose a risk of infection to others.

Primary contacts of individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 should isolate at home for 14 days and self-monitor for symptoms. Faculty and staff should notify their supervisor; students should notify via email Student Health and Counseling.

Those who develop even a mild cough or low-grade fever (100.4 F) continue to stay home and self-isolate, avoiding close contact (approximately six feet) with other people, including family members and pets. If you develop respiratory symptoms or fever during the monitoring period, call your primary care provider’s office, or contact your local health department or local Emergency Department and provide details for your recent travel and symptoms to determine if further medical care is needed. 

USciences has remained open since the outbreak began. However, we have not been on campus in order to minimize the risk of infection. USciences begins a phased reopening of on-campus operations in June and the University plans to resume in-person activities for the fall semester, taking into account all federal, state, and local guidance. Summer courses will remain virtual. Faculty and staff who are able to should continue to telecommute. We plan to open in August with in-person instruction, conducting research in our laboratories, opening offices, and welcoming students to our residence halls and other facilities, while also balancing the health and safety of our community.

Classes will be delivered in a mixture of online and in-person formats for the fall semester, with in-person instruction for hands-on, laboratory and smaller courses. Larger lecture-based courses will be held online. USciences will provide specific guidance for all community members about how to stay safe on campus.

CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Fund (HEERF) has been made available for USciences to help cover some of the unexpected expenses that students enrolled during Spring 2020 have experienced due to the Covid-19 disruption of campus operations.  More information and application.