Masking and testing for Covid-19 will remain optional on Harvard’s campus going into the fall 2022 semester, and the school will stop offering free PCR tests to associates three weeks after the deadline, the University announced Wednesday.
Harvard students will be required to take a rapid antigen test upon arrival on campus, and optional PCR tests will be provided during the first three weeks of the term, but the school will end its testing program on September 16. Antigen tests will still be provided to College students at the request of building managers in their houses.
Harvard will not provide isolation housing or contact tracing for associates who test positive to begin the year.
The announcement, sent to the school’s affiliates on Wednesday by Harvard University Health Services Director Giang T. Nguyen, signals that the University will take a no-holds-barred approach to managing the pandemic on campus starting at the start of the academic year, despite the presence of new Covid variants.
Nguyen said Harvard is “prepared to move toward broader protections,” such as a mask mandate, if warranted by changes in public health conditions.
Students will be eligible to receive eight free rapid antigen tests per month through their private health insurance, Nguyen wrote.
“Antigen testing is a quick, convenient and reliable way to test when you have symptoms or want confirmation of your COVID status,” Nguyen wrote. “I highly recommend you take advantage of this benefit.”
The university is also monitoring monkeypox cases on campus and consulting public health experts.
Guidelines for Covid-19
The city of Cambridge reported a 6.87 percent Covid-19 positivity rate over the past two weeks since August 10. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Thanks to high levels of immunity, many infections are mild,” Nguyen wrote. “However, hospitals continue to see serious illnesses, especially among the elderly, those with chronic medical conditions and people who are not up to date on vaccination.”
Students who test positive for Covid-19 will continue to be isolated in their dormitories. HUHS will provide guidance to infected students via automated email, and students should “continue to notify their close contacts directly,” the release said.
HUHS will provide support to those with “complex medical situations as needed,” Nguyen added.
Guidelines for monkeypox
The monkeypox outbreak, which has been declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization, is an “evolving situation,” Nguyen wrote in his announcement. HUHS is working alongside the state of Massachusetts “to build capacity for vaccine testing and referral,” he added.
Patients who test positive for monkeypox should remain in isolation until the skin lesions resolve and a new layer of skin forms, Wednesday’s announcement said. Isolation times will vary from person to person and can last more than 21 days, according to HUHS.
“If you live on campus, HUHS will work with you and your school/unit to manage your isolation,” according to the guidance.
Those living off campus should isolate at home, HUHS added.
“Mutual respect is a core value, so I ask that we all avoid any language or behavior that stigmatizes individuals or communities with monkeypox infections,” Nguyen wrote.
“While the media has focused primarily on the sexual transmission routes of this infection, it is important to understand that there are other routes of transmission, including direct contact with infectious rashes, scabs, or bodily fluids and tactile items (linen and clothing) that are affected. previously from Infectious Rash or body fluids,” Nguyen added.
Individuals who suspect they have an infection or exposure to monkeypox and individuals seeking a referral for the vaccine should contact HUHS, Nguyen said.
— Staff writer Miles J. Herszenhorn can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @MHerszenhorn.
— Staff writer Meimei Xu can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @MeimeiXu7.
