AUGUST 24, 2020 — To prevent the further spread of the novel coronavirus, it’s important everyone in the community does their part, UTSA is informing Roadrunners. Whether that be staying home if feeling sick, wearing a face mask, or maintaining social distance, all Roadrunners have a shared responsibility to take care of one another.
With a new semester beginning, it’s even more important that the Roadrunner community work together to keep it a healthy and safe environment. To serve as a reminder, UTSA is launching its public health campaign, Do Your Part.
“As outlined in the president’s health task force, this really encompasses a shared responsibility from the entire Roadrunner community to take part in making sure we minimize the risk of COVID-19 infections and spread of disease,” said Beth Wichman, UTSA’s chief medical officer. “That entails a lot of different parts. It means that we have to adhere to national, state and local guidelines as required to be safe.”
Some key ways to staying safe are conducting daily health self-assessment checks, social distancing, washing hands/sanitizing, disinfecting surfaces, wearing face coverings, using other personal protective equipment and staying home if feeling sick.
Students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to use the health self-assessment tool, which was launched earlier this month in conjunction with the mandatory compliance trainings for employees and students.
“The goal of the health self-assessment tool is for all Roadrunners to have an easy, quick, one-stop place to evaluate how we are feeling and our potential exposures,” said Lorenzo Sanchez, director of the Office of Risk & Emergency Management. “We wanted to create a tool that not only took into account COVID-related symptoms but also for them to assess the interactions they’ve had with people or health-related behaviors that could influence the potential exposure points.”
The health self-assessment tool is accessible through the Roadrunner Return website, the UTSA app, and the LiveSafe app. When using the tool it goes through a list of symptoms, such as shortness of breath, cough, chills, fever above 100, headaches, sore throats, muscle pain, loss of taste or smell, and diarrhea as well as possible COVID-19 exposure from close contact or community transmission.
Once an individual has clicked “yes” or “no” to the questions, the tool directs users to a list of resources and recommendations.
“We didn’t want to make it too cumbersome where people had to click through a long list of indicators and questions. Our goal was to develop a useful tool where a person does a quick health evaluation, then can be directed to appropriate resources,” Sanchez said. “If you click that you may have one or more of those symptoms, we direct students to schedule an appointment with Student Health Services, telemedicine or their health care provider. For employees, we try to direct them to their preferred health care provider or MD Live.”
For those who reported no symptoms, the tool reminds you to still closely monitor your health and what you can experience after exposure to the virus.
All Roadrunners also are asked to abide by The Roadrunner Pact and its five principles:
One other way to staying safe is getting a flu shot this fall, Wichman said.
“It’s really thought that something can occur called a twindemic. The symptoms for COVID-19 and flu are very similar and a person can get both at the same time, so it’s really important that earlier than later people get their immunity built up against the flu virus,” Wichman said. “We don’t have a vaccine yet for COVID-19, but we do have one for the flu.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends getting a flu vaccine in October or November because the flu epidemic tends to hit between December and March. However, there’s no question a surge in COVID-19 could occur at the same time as the flu epidemic can hit, Wichman said.
“We’ve all got to get the flu vaccine earlier this year and protect ourselves,” she said.
UTSA will host a flu vaccine clinic from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on September 1 and 2 on Main Campus, and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on September 3 on Downtown Campus.
“An individual should bring their insurance card and their ID. The employee insurance is fully covered as well as multiple other insurances,” Wichman said. “Information for the clinic will be listed on the Roadrunner Return website and there will be videos going out to outline this.”
If a student is feeling sick, they should call ahead to the Student Health Services at 210-458-4142 and make an appointment. Faculty and staff should call their health care providers or use MD Live.
“I recommend the student to call the clinic number and press option 3 to get them directed to the nurse,” Wichman said. “The nurse will review their symptoms and work with a provider to set them up with an appointment. Student Health Services will also be working with Quest to also offer COVID-19 testing.”
Wichman and Sanchez agreed that it’s vital to only socialize with other people in your “bubble,” such as family or roommates in your residence, as well as limiting unnecessary social interactions during the COVID-19 era, especially with a new semester kicking off.
“I think we’ve all got to be on the lookout with our personal safety,” Wichman said. “It’s emphasized also that for anybody coming back to school, those first two weeks are so important because through travel, coming from home or potential exposure to asymptomatic individuals, one can have the virus and be spreading it unknowingly.”
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