Dear Campus Community
A member of the St Cloud State University community reported that they have been diagnosed with lab confirmed COVID-19 (coronavirus). Once someone is lab confirmed with COVID-19, the Minnesota Department of Health conducts an investigation about the nature and circumstances of the case. For this case, they have determined that the risk of exposure at our university is low and similar to the exposure one might have while being out in the community.
First, our thoughts are with this individual and we wish them a speedy recovery. Next, I understand that this news may create unease in our community. I want you to know that we continue to have the safety, security, and health of our staff and students as our top priority. To that end, we continue to clean and sterilize the facilities that are open and we have already worked closely with the Minnesota Department of Health to identify and notify any close contacts of the individual with COVID-19.
The most important actions each of us can take to protect ourselves and each other include:
- Staying home if you are sick with the symptoms identified by the CDC.
- Washing your hands often with soap and water; covering your cough and sneeze; avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Practicing self-care by eating a healthy diet and taking time to rest.
- Frequently cleaning all commonly touched surfaces.
- Avoiding large gatherings and practice social distancing by keeping 6 feet apart from others.If you feel ill, take the appropriate actions to protect your colleagues, friends and family, seek medical attention, and we encourage you to report any COVID-19 health updates your medical provider and your supervisor.
If you feel you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, The Minnesota Department of Health recommends:
- Stay at home for at least 7 days, and for 3 days with no fever and improvement of respiratory symptoms – whichever is longer. (Your fever should be gone for 3 days without using fever-reducing medicine).
- Use the CDC website on how to Care For Yourself at Home with COVID-19.
- If your household contacts were exposed to you while you had symptoms, they should try to stay home as much as possible for 14 days.
- They should closely monitor their health, and if symptoms occur, they must isolate themselves. More guidance on this can be found here: MDH COVID-19 Basics.
- Use the CDC website for How to Minimize Spread.
This is our first notification of a lab confirmed case of COVID-19, and we are thankful to this individual for their self-awareness and reporting their condition to us. As access to diagnostics increases (through clinical diagnosis or laboratory confirmation), so will the number of positive cases – both in the wider community and among members of our Husky community. Therefore, we expect that future low risk diagnoses like these will not necessarily result in university-wide communication.
This is a challenging time and I know many of you may be feeling stress or anxiety. Please reach out. You can seek support services by contacting:
- Counseling and Psychological Services 320-308-3171.
- United Healthcare 24/7 toll-free helpline number, 866-342-6892.
- The Employee Assistance Program available at no cost: https://mn.gov/mmb/segip/health-and-wellbeing/eap/eap-work-life.jsp.
We will get through this together as a community, and will be stronger when we emerge.
All my best,
Robbyn R. Wacker
President
