Welcome to the Nebraska Today COVID-19 Digest (spring semester edition). This is a feature designed to deliver the university’s most current virus news and help you navigate campus during the global pandemic.
These briefs will be updated regularly and appear in the Nebraska Today newsletter.
The most recent update, which posted at 8 p.m., Feb. 4, provides details on what you can expect after finishing the third round of saliva-based reentry testing.
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• University’s COVID-19 response
• Testing. Reporting. Contact tracing.
• Health and safety
• Facilities and events
• Spring 2021 academic calendar
• COVID-19 policies
• Frequently asked questions
When happens after that third reentry test is complete?
On Feb. 3, Chancellor Ronnie Green announced that the university's reentry testing for COVID-19 will expand to include a third round to provide requested transmission data to the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department. So, once you take the test and receive a negative result, here's what you can expect.
Within one day of receiving your third (negative) test result, the Safer Community app and online COVID-19 Testing Portal should show that you have completed all reentry testing and no future tests need to be scheduled (at that time). Individual status cards (available through the app and online portal) will also show that building access is granted for all who complete the three rounds of testing. Students, instructors and staff should be continue to be ready to show their status cards to Wellness Attendants stationed at building entrances.
Additional details about the further testing needs — including the possible launch of random mitigation testing — will be announced the week of Feb. 15.
If your app or online portal continues to show the need for another test after the third round, it is because at least two of your tests were completed less than five days apart. To count toward the reentry protocols, the span between each test must be greater than or equal to five days. To stay in compliance and complete the testing protocol in this situation, you must take the fourth test — but be certain that it completed between five and nine days after your last test.
Read Chancellor Ronnie Green's entire message on the the need for a third round of reentry testing and a look ahead here.
State of Nebraska opens vaccine portal
The state has launched an online portal through which Nebraskans can register for COVID-19 vaccinations.
Anyone who has registered with the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department — particularly all who are age 65 and older — do not need to complete registration with the state. However, individuals who are 18 to 64 and have a high-risk medical condition are asked to register via the state portal to ensure prioritization for Phase 1B vaccinations.
The Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department opened its online registration tool for COVID-19 vaccinations on Jan. 19. At this time, the site is primarily for individuals who are 65 or older or have underlying, high-risk health issues. Learn more here.
At this time, no on-campus vaccination sites are scheduled. Details on availability will be announced to the campus community.
Early birds may need to get third COVID-19 reentry test
Huskers among the first to be tested twice through the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s saliva-based COVID-19 reentry testing program may need to get a third test to stay in compliance.
The university began the second round of saliva-based testing on Jan. 28. Some students, instructors and staff who completed two reentry tests early are reporting that the Safer Community app is recommending the scheduling of a third test. The app is showing a need for third test as its “Access Granted” status is based on a 10-day interval.
The university is working with the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department to determine next steps in the spring semester COVID-19 testing program. Details will be announced the week of Feb. 1.
Huskers who have been tested twice and show (via the app) a need for a third test prior to Feb. 5 should schedule an additional test at least one day prior to the date listed. This will allow those users to avoid interruption in building access status.
Get an exemption if you've had COVID-19
Students, instructors and staff diagnosed with COVID-19 in the last 90 days must request an exemption and should not participate in the university’s saliva-based testing program. Huskers with an exemption receive an “Access Granted” status in the Safer Community app for the duration of the 90-day span.
Getting tested for COVID-19 in the weeks after recovery from the virus may result in a positive test result. Per guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control, individuals in the 90-day window are not contagious after a 10-day isolation period and assuming symptoms have resolved. However, they may continue to carry remnants of the virus for the remaining time in the 90-day window. These remnants may result in a positive test result.
Individuals who have recovered and are in the 90-day window after having the virus should only seek testing if they are symptomatic or suspect exposure. Those tests should be nasal-based and not completed through the university's saliva testing program.
Details about the exemption process and how to apply are available via the Testing Exemptions webpage and Spring Open FAQ.
Negative, on-campus test needed to access university facilities
Only those negative COVID-19 tests completed through the on-campus, saliva-based testing protocol can be used to gain access to university facilities.
The university's saliva-based PCR test is as reliable as nasal-based testing. Further, the Safer Community app and printable building access pass (offered for those without smartphones) can only be linked to results from on-campus saliva tests. Results from a health care provider or any other outside testing program cannot be substituted for a test from the university's saliva-based testing protocol.
Learn more about the university's saliva-based testing program here.
Vaccine registration begins for Lincoln, Lancaster County
The Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department has launched an online portal for individuals to register for vaccine distribution. All members of the campus community who are 65+ or who have underlying, high-risk health issues are being asked to register with the county. Additional details on the vaccination plan will be announced.
Study spaces updated for spring semester
Study spaces on campus for students to attend Zoom classes, access remote course materials, and collaborate on small group projects while staying safe and physically distant have been updated for the spring semester. Students can drop into areas listed here on a first-come-first-served basis.
In addition, the University Libraries has study spaces listed here and the university has a WiFi outdoor map for students who want to study outside.
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February 05, 2021 at 09:00AM
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COVID-19 Digest: What happens after that third reentry test is complete - Nebraska Today
"complete" - Google News
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