TO: USC Students, Faculty and University Staff
FR: Sarah Van Orman, MD MMM FACHA, Chief Health Officer, USC Student Health, Keck Medicine of USC; Division Chief for College Health, Keck School of Medicine of USC
LA County’s COVID-19 cases have increased by 20-fold compared to last month. On June 21 there were 124 cases. Yesterday, July 21, there were 2,551 new cases reported. We are also seeing an increase in positive cases in the USC community.
Given the increase in community spread, we remind all USC students, faculty, and staff of the symptoms for COVID-19:
- Chills or Fever of 100 degrees or higher
- Loss of Taste or Smell
- Muscle Soreness or Headaches
- Cough or Runny Nose or Sore Throat
- Difficulty Breathing or Shortness of Breath
- Conjunctivitis (inflammation of eye including redness, itching and tearing) ALONG WITH feeling feverish
- GI symptoms such as Abdominal Pain or Diarrhea or Nausea or Vomiting
Additional information of the symptoms of COVID-19 may be found on the CDC website. A daily symptom check is required before coming to the USC campuses through Trojan Check.
Symptoms may be very mild, especially if you are fully vaccinated. Please stay home if you have symptoms and do not go to work, attend class, or any other activity until you are able to test.
The USC Pop Testing program is available for students, faculty, and university staff; please schedule through MySHR. If you receive a contact-tracing email notification from USC Student Health that you are believed to have had a COVID-19 exposure, you are recommended to test even if you are fully vaccinated.
The best protection against COVID-19 is to become fully vaccinated (2 weeks after completing a two-dose series or single-dose vaccine); if you have not yet been vaccinated, please consider getting vaccinated to protect yourself, your loved ones, and your community.
UPC: https://studenthealth.usc.edu/vaccine-clinic
HSC: https://www.keckmedicine.org/coronavirus-vaccine/
LA County: http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/coronavirus/vaccine/index.htm
As a reminder, use of facial coverings is required in all indoor spaces at USC regardless of vaccination status.
