Reminder: Masks are still recommended during travel and public transportation
Masks are recommended for everyone aged 2 years or older when indoors on public transportation and at transportation hubs. It is especially important to wear a mask in areas that are crowded or poorly ventilated. These types of areas include the following:
- Small, enclosed spaces, such as airport jetways,
- Public transportation during periods when the ventilation system is off and windows are closed (e.g., when the engine is turned off on an airplane),
- During international travel and in transportation hubs that serve international travelers.
For details on these recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, see: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/masks-public-transportation.html
IHE Survey Reminder
The survey will be closed on September 30th, 2022. If you have already completed it, thank you! If you have not completed the survey, please consider doing so! The information you provide enables us to serve you better.
Use the survey link below to take this brief survey.
COVID-19 IHE Reporting
All cases of SARS-CoV-2 infections/COVID-19 of which the institution has knowledge must be included in the weekly reports regardless of where the viral test occurred (e.g., clinic, testing site, at home). Steps for reporting are listed below.
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Use the College and University COVID-19 Reporting REDCap Form
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Enter contact information,
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Enter case count for students and enter case count for faculty and staff,
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Enter "0" if no cases were identified,
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The first time you report in REDCap, add your campus population (estimate).
Optional: Answer questions on outbreak activity and mitigation. If this extra step takes too much time, you can select “unsure” and continue.
Many thanks for your reporting time and effort. It is greatly appreciated.
Vaccine Outreach
Bivalent boosters
Minnesota health care providers are administering updated COVID-19 booster shots that have been formulated to be more effective against the Omicron variants.
Appointments are now available for Minnesotans to receive an updated bivalent booster at state-run vaccination sites at the Mall of America (MOA) and Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center (DECC), in Rochester, Moorhead, and Midway in St. Paul.
Share these links with IHE community members and encourage them to make appointments at these sites:
Remember, the updated COVID-19 boosters can both help restore protection that has decreased since previous vaccination and provide broader protection against newer variants. The COVID-19 vaccines and the updated booster are safe and help protect people from getting very sick with COVID-19. Even if you’ve already had COVID-19, you should get vaccinated.
- Use the state’s Find Vaccine Locations map to find vaccine providers near you—providers including Local Public Health offices (LPH) will update their information as clinics are scheduled and appointments are available.
- Check for vaccine appointments at Vaccines.gov, where you can search for appointments by vaccine type (e.g., Pfizer).
Share Your Vaccine Story
There are a lot of reasons to get a COVID-19 vaccine, and we want to hear from IHE communities what some of those reasons are. Please ask students, faculty, staff to share why they got themselves or family members vaccinated for COVID-19 to help encourage others to do the same. They can record a short video to submit to MDH and we will help share some of the reasons people are rolling up their sleeves.
Our Share Your Story: Why I Got the COVID-19 Vaccine web page has more information and instructions for submitting a story. Please share this invite with Residential Life staff and others who work directly with students. We encourage Minnesotans to record stories in their home language.
Frequently Asked Questions
We receive a variety of questions on topics such as COVID-19 testing, vaccine policies, guidance updates, and more. We will be sharing some of your questions in this bulletin.
Question: What is the current guidance on isolation for people who live on campus?
Response: IHE should follow the general population guidance for isolation, including in residence halls. If someone is at high risk of severe disease, an IHE may choose to follow guidance for high risk congregate settings.
Here is MDH's isolation and precautions guidance.
Here is the Center's for Disease Control and Prevention isolation and precautions guidance, including their new Isolation and Exposure Calculator.
Please continue to email your questions to the MDH Higher Ed mailbox.
New Survey Results from American College Health Association (ACHA): National Survey of College Student COVID-19 Vaccination Uptake, Attitudes, Experiences, and Intentions released Sept. 12, 2022.
Vaccination continues to the most effective way to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on college campuses, our communities, and elsewhere. These survey results highlight the challenges and opportunities related to building and maintaining vaccine confidence on campus.
See the links below for ACHA's updated toolkits designed to support campus vaccination efforts.
A new COVID-19 report comparing patient outcomes during periods dominated by the Omicron and Delta variants has been released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Mortality Risk Among Patients Hospitalized Primarily for COVID-19 During the Omicron and Delta Variant Pandemic Periods — United States, April 2020–June 2022 (cdc.gov).
This report is based on data from 678 hospitals which reported 1,072,106 hospitalizations and 128,517 in-hospital deaths combined.
During the period of Omicron, the crude mortality risk among patients hospitalized primarily for COVID-19 decreased from 15.1% (Delta period) to 4.9% during April–June 2022. This rate is lower than any previous time in the pandemic and approximately one third of the rate during the Delta period despite high-risk patient groups representing a larger proportion of hospitalizations.
During the later Omicron period the majority of in-hospital deaths occurred among adults aged ≥65 years (81.9%) and persons with three or more underlying medical conditions (73.4%).
This report concludes that vaccination, early treatment, and appropriate nonpharmaceutical interventions remain important public health priorities to prevent COVID-19 deaths, especially among persons most at risk.
ACHA UPDATED Toolkits Engage students in COVID-19 mitigation efforts and keep your school community informed using these two updated toolkits: Student Ambassador Toolkit & Vax Forward Digital Toolkit.
1) ACHA's toolkits include new resources for the 2022-23 academic year. Their Student Ambassador Toolkit will help you create a student ambassador program tailored to the needs of your school community. Students can play a critical role in changing peer behavior. Engage their interest and passion for creating change to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Take advantage of this comprehensive resource!
2) ACHA's VaxForward Digital Toolkit includes basic facts about COVID-19 vaccines in easy to access language, along with tips, sample messages, and resources to help build vaccine confidence. It also includes strategies for debunking harmful myths about COVID-19 vaccine that continue to misinform and undermine efforts to slow the spread of the COVID-19 and prevent severe illness.
COVID Coordinators, faculty, student leaders, marketing and residential life staff can use this toolkit to help themselves and others stay up to date and communicate basic facts about COVID-19 vaccines.
Use these toolkits in combination with other MDH vaccine resources and let us know how how they work!
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