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All USC students taking in-person classes or living in university-owned residences in Fall 2020 are required to complete immunization for influenza by November 1. Students living in off-campus residences and taking classes remotely are also strongly encouraged to get a flu vaccine. Students returning to in person classes in Spring 2021 will be required to show proof of vaccination before they will be permitted on campus.
Due to air quality conditions in Los Angeles County, surveillance testing appointments at Pop Testing locations (UPC and HSC) for Thursday, Sept. 17 – Friday,… Read more »
The L.A. Dept. of Public Health advises that “If you can see smoke, soot, or ash, or you can smell smoke, pay attention to your immediate environment and take precautions to safeguard your health.” Smoke and ash contribute to unhealthy air quality and can cause burning eyes, runny nose, scratchy throat, headaches, and respiratory illnesses. In people with sensitive conditions, it can cause difficulty breathing, wheezing, coughing, fatigue, and chest pain. If you have heart or lung disease and/or experience any symptoms beyond these listed above or which are drastically worse, such as chest tightening or shortness of breath, you should see immediate health attention. Learn more from the USC Environmental Health and Safety office.
For students who remain on or near campus in shared living arrangements, we strongly advise you to act with caution and strictly follow all guidelines for physical distancing (6 ft.), avoiding gatherings with other outside your home, wearing face coverings around others to protect against respiratory droplets, and proceed with high adherence to hand hygiene and frequent surface contact cleaning.
It is strongly recommended that students in the vicinity of USC, especially those living with housemates or suite mates, should test weekly through the Pop Testing program. All students on USC Housing lists will receive a reminder email to this effect.
Personally identifiable information is kept as private patient information by our contact tracing team.
Due to the current disruptions Covid-19, early academic year start, and campus-based populations, we are updating you with information related to the charges for the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) that will be reflected in your Fall 2020 tuition statement.
USC Student Health is initiating population testing (“Pop. Testing”) of COVID-19 with the external company, Color, to begin the week of August 3, 2020. The ongoing testing is part of the University’s overall testing strategy to identify, isolate, contact trace, and contain new infections. Collection will consist of a self-collected nasal swab, under the observation of a health professional, and later, through unobserved self-collection. Results will be available in 1-3 days. Check your USC email for a message from (support@color.com) if you are recommended to participate in testing.
Over the past few months, the university has developed comprehensive Covid-19 campus public health measures including daily wellness screening, testing, contact tracing, and procedures for isolating individuals who are ill and exposed. These measures were developed from all available scientific evidence and are fully compliant with guidelines from the Los Angeles Department of Public Health. USC will continually update its recommendations as needed based on emerging evidence and changing public health conditions. Students are expected to comply with all required health measures.
Initial Covid-19 Student Test: Students permitted to live in USC Housing or who have an in-person class must present documentation of a COVID-19 test performed within 7 days before their first day on campus. Details on uploading documentation and information about on campus options for this Initial Covid-19 test will be posted to a Covid-19 testing instructions page.
2020 Temporary Postponement for Students Outside of California Due to the current disruptions related to Covid-19 in the U.S., USC Student Health is permitting time… Read more »
The health requirements for insurance, immunizations, and testing, and fees/deadline structure, has been modified for the Fall 2020 semester due to Covid-19. Please see the announcement.
We are writing to you at a time when Los Angeles County is seeing unparalleled growth in transmission and percentage of positive cases in our community.
In the past few days, a cluster of 15 positive cases of COVID-19 among houses located on 28th Street has been identified and is being evaluated. Patients with confirmed positive tests are in self-isolation at home or are in the process of being privately transported to isolation.
We have seen a rapid acceleration in community spread in the last three weeks, as has the rest of Los Angeles County. The current positivity rate for LA County is 11%, up from 5% about three weeks ago. Statistically, 1 out of every 7 people in Los Angeles would test positive for COVID-19 at this point in time.
