Dear students, staff, and faculty,
As we’ve been interacting with students, staff, and faculty at the Track and Tennis Center during Calvin’s return-to-learn COVID Screening Test clinic over the past two weeks, we’re reminded of the joys of in-person learning, living, and working. We’ve appreciated the sights and sounds of an active campus this week, including hearty greetings exchanged in residence and dining halls, students eagerly traversing campus on their way to and from classes, and strong participation in a campus march commemorating the work and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We are eager to persist in our commitment to embodied learning this semester and appreciate your ongoing commitment to safety and health in the new year.
NEW THIS WEEK
- Approval as a Vaccination Site
- COVID-19 Vaccine and Screening Tests
- Remote Accommodations
APPROVAL AS A VACCINATION SITE
Last week, the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services Division of Immunization approved Calvin University Health Services as a COVID-19 vaccination site. Calvin is the first university campus clinic in west Michigan to receive this designation.
While approved, we now must wait to receive a steady allotment of vaccinations before we will be able to register eligible individuals for an appointment. Internal Phase 1A students and faculty will have the highest priority when we begin offering the COVID-19 vaccine, but we are likely still 8-12 weeks away from beginning our COVID-19 vaccine clinics for Phase 1B folks.
At this time, Phase 1A and Phase 1B eligible folks should register for their vaccine series with another provider at https://vaccinatewestmi.com/register/.
PLEASE do not call or write to Health Services about the COVID-19 vaccine. Our staff is not able to respond to questions about the vaccine currently, and we need to keep our phone lines and inbox available to handle patient care needs.
For updates, please go to https://calvin.edu/offices-services/health-services/coronavirus/vaccine-registration/ or https://vaccinatewestmi.com/.
We are eager to see more widespread rollout of the COVID vaccine at Calvin and will keep the community informed as more details become available. The Vaccinate West Michigan website is a good resource with up-to-date information on the vaccine rollout in our region.
COVID-19 VACCINE AND SCREENING TESTS
We have had some members of the Calvin community who have begun their COVID-19 vaccine series (Phase 1A, health-related). Please note that we are working with health authorities as they strive to understand infectivity rates following the vaccine. At this time, individuals who have received one or two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine should still participate in Calvin’s COVID-19 screening test process (i.e.- return-to-campus screening, athletic screenings, etc.). This means that we are currently notwaiving screening tests for individuals who have received one or more doses of the COVID-10 vaccine. We will update the campus community as more information becomes available.
REMOTE ACCOMMODATIONS
As a reminder, all students are expected to be in-person for spring semester courses unless they have received accommodations through the Center for Student Success. Students with a need for a COVID-related accommodation to learn remotely should apply as soon as possible. The deadline is TODAY, January 20, 2021. The form by which to apply is available via https://www.calvin.edu/go/remote-app. Note too that temporary remote accommodations will continue to be available to students who need to engage remotely based on conversations with staff in the Center for Student Success.
TESTING THIS WEEK
Anyone who is back for in-person learning during interim should have been tested by now. If not, please do so as soon as possible. For those who are not returning to in-person learning until second semester, we ask you to please schedule a screening test no more than three days before your planned return to on-campus living, learning, or working. There should be plenty of appointment times available on the Eventbrite website.
We are using a self-administered, rapid antigen test for this round of screenings (if you’re wondering what this will entail, we have a great video that will walk you through the process).
We prefer that students, staff, and faculty go through Calvin’s screening process but recognize there may be some situations in which it is more convenient for someone to receive a screening test elsewhere. We will accept COVID-19 antigen or PCR test results obtained elsewhere if the test is administered no more than three days prior to your return to campus. Please submit off-campus screening test results electronically using the COVID Reporting Form.
A PRIOR POSITIVE COVID TEST RESULT
If you have had a verified case of COVID-19 in the 90 days prior to your return to campus, you do NOT need to take part in our screening process. If you have not reported your previous case to Calvin, please do so using the COVID Reporting Form and attach the documentation you received at the time of your diagnosis. KCHD is asking Calvin University to obtain confirmation testing when a previous diagnosis was made by a positive antigen test. Health Services will be able to order your confirmation testing.
LINKS WE LIKE
The COVID-Response Team
Kristen Alford
Jennifer Ambrose
Laura Champion
Phil de Haan
Todd Dornbos
Jim English
Todd Hubers (co-chair)
Brian Paige
Jane Prins
Sarah Visser (co-chair)
John Witte
Cindy Wolffis