{"id":21871,"date":"2024-01-23T15:43:39","date_gmt":"2024-01-23T15:43:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ahs.uic.edu\/inside-ahs\/news-stories\/staying-safe-this-respiratory-season\/"},"modified":"2024-01-23T15:43:39","modified_gmt":"2024-01-23T15:43:39","slug":"staying-safe-this-respiratory-season","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/ahs.uic.edu\/inside-ahs\/news-stories\/staying-safe-this-respiratory-season\/","title":{"rendered":"Staying Safe This Respiratory Season"},"template":"","news_categories":[23],"news_tags":[],"class_list":["post-21871","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry","news_categories-admin-note"],"acf":{"intro_text_subtitle":"","intro_text_body":"

In the last few weeks, the CDC has been reporting<\/a> gradual rises in COVID-19 test positivity, emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and deaths across the country. On January 3rd, the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) raised Chicago\u2019s COVID-19 risk level to rise to \u201cmedium\u201d.<\/strong> Influenza levels across the country<\/a> are elevated and levels in Illinois remain HIGH.<\/p>\n

With gatherings over the winter break and holiday travel, we anticipate, as has been seen in past years, increases in respiratory illness throughout the month of January.<\/p>\n

As we prepare to return to campus for the spring semester amidst increased respiratory virus circulation, we\u2019d like to take a moment to remind you of the following to best protect yourself, your loved ones, and the UIC community.<\/p>\n

Get vaccinated for<\/strong> COVID-19<\/a> and<\/strong> influenza<\/a>.
\n– Vaccination continues to be the best way to protect yourself against influenza infection and severe COVID-19 disease.
\n– You should discuss vaccination guidance and availability with your healthcare provider. If you do not have a healthcare provider or your healthcare provider does not have the influenza vaccine, you can schedule an appointment at the City of Chicago influenza vaccination clinic<\/strong> by using their website<\/a> or by calling 311.
\n– Vaccination locations in the Chicagoland area and vaccine locator resources can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Do not come to campus if you are sick, no matter how mild your symptoms may be!<\/strong>
\n– No matter the illness, if you are sick, you should stay home, even if you test negative for COVID-19. Campus COVID-19 guidelines can be found here.
\n– Campus employees that become sick at work should notify their supervisor, go home, and contact their primary care provider for treatment.<\/p>\n

Get tested!<\/strong>
\n– Testing is especially important if you have symptoms of COVID-19 or influenza. Remember, there are effective treatments for both viruses, but it\u2019s important to start them as close to when your symptoms began as possible.<\/p>\n

Consider wearing a mask when in indoor public spaces or crowded venues.<\/strong>
\n– If you are at high risk of severe COVID-19 illness<\/a>, the CDC recommends wearing a high-quality mask or respirator (e.g., N95) when indoors in public.
\n– Everyone is encouraged to utilize masks as an additional method of protection against respiratory illnesses.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Practice good respiratory and hand hygiene.<\/strong>
\n– Make sure you cover any cough or sneeze with your elbow or a tissue, making sure to
\nwash your hands after.
\n– You should also wash your hands regularly and avoid touching your eyes, nose, or
\nmouth.<\/p>\n

As a reminder, students requiring assistance or support with COVID-19 related needs or questions can reach out to the UIC COVID-19 Contact Tracing and Epidemiology program by calling 312-355-2555 or emailing us at uic_contact_tracing@uic.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We look forward to having you all back on campus soon and wish you a great start to the spring
\nsemester.<\/p>\n

Stay well,
\nUIC Health and Well-being Team<\/p>\n","intro_text_excerpt":"Tips and reminders for how to stay safe from respiratory illness.","content_author":"Natalia Lopez-Yanez","content_sticky":false,"intro_text_include_image":false,"intro_text_image":false,"intro_text_image_alt_text":"","intro_text_image_caption":"","intro_text_image_attribution":"","news_include_thumbnail":false,"news_thumbnail_image":false,"news_thumbnail_image_alt_text":""},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ahs.uic.edu\/inside-ahs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/21871","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ahs.uic.edu\/inside-ahs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ahs.uic.edu\/inside-ahs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ahs.uic.edu\/inside-ahs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/21871\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ahs.uic.edu\/inside-ahs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21871"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news_categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ahs.uic.edu\/inside-ahs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news_categories?post=21871"},{"taxonomy":"news_tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ahs.uic.edu\/inside-ahs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news_tags?post=21871"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}