How to Self-Assess for COVID-19 Symptoms
Posted: August 18, 2020 | Author: Southern Utah University | Read Time: 3 minutes
As students, faculty, and staff return to attend Southern Utah University this fall, we are asking them to take personal responsibility to stay informed, take actions based on best practices, and exercise wise judgment in an effort to maintain a healthy and safe university community.
SUU students, faculty and staff should self-assess for COVID-19 symptoms daily before going to class, work, or campus. If symptoms are present, please stay home and follow appropriate protocols, including getting tested and isolating.
How to Self-Assess for COVID-19 Symptoms
Each morning, when you wake up, be honest with yourself about your health. While you cannot diagnose yourself, you can monitor your health and risk. If you would like to use an app to self-assess for COVID-19 symptoms, the following are available:
COVID-19 symptoms, the combination of symptoms, and severity of symptoms are different for everyone and can appear anytime between 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people with any of the symptoms below may have COVID-19:
- Fever or chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fatigue
- Muscle or body aches
- Headache
- New loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat
- Congestion or runny nose
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
If you have any of the symptoms below, seek emergency medical care immediately:
- Trouble breathing
- Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
- New confusion
- Inability to wake or stay awake
- Bluish lips or face
Other factors to consider when self-assessing:
- Have you been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19? Or have you been notified that you may have been exposed to COVID-19?
- Have you traveled within the last 14 days?
- Do you have underlying medical conditions?
- Have you recently been vaccinated for COVID-19?
According to the CDC you may experience some side effects, if you have had the vaccine. Some people have no side effects, but common side effects include:
- Tiredness
- Headache
- Chills
- Fever
- Nausea
- Pain
- Redness
- Swelling
Though similar to symptoms of COVID-19, these side effects are normal signs that your body is building protection, and NOT an indication that you have contracted the virus from the vaccine. These side effects may affect your ability to do daily activities, but they should go away in a few days. If they do not, contact a healthcare provider.
SUU Students, Faculty or Staff That Are Feeling Sick or Have COVID-19 Symptoms
- If you have symptoms, get tested and stay away from other persons to the greatest extent possible at least until you receive a negative test result.
- If you test positive for COVID-19, please report your case via the self-report form and isolate in accordance with public health guidelines until it has been: At least 10 days since you first got sick, and you have been fever-free for 24 hours (this means you did not use medicine to lower your fever), and your respiratory symptoms have improved for 24 hours.
- Please kindly inform anyone that you have been in close contact with during the two days before symptoms began or you tested positive.
- If you test negative for COVID-19, please stay home with any illness until symptoms have improved and you’ve been fever-free (without fever-reducing medications) for at least 24 hours.
COVID-19 Testing Sites
The on-campus COVID testing will reopen this fall and will primarily serve symptomatic members of the campus community. If you are ill or worried you may have been exposed, please mask up and get tested on campus.
The University COVID Testing Center is located in the parking lot of the J. Reuben Clark Center (formerly known as the Alumni House) and is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm.
Several other locations in Cedar City offer free COVID-19 testing. Visit coronavirus.utah.gov for a full list of testing requirements and centers.
Effectively protecting against and managing COVID-19 in a campus community requires individuals to perform daily symptom checks, get tested for COVID-19 if symptomatic, self-report test results, and follow isolation or quarantine instructions. For more information about how SUU is addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, visit suu.edu/coronavirus.
Tags: Coronavirus
