Thursday, August 13, 2020
Dear undergraduate students,
We are writing to share information about additional measures the University is taking to protect the health and safety of the campus community during the fall semester. As undergraduate classes get underway next week, the University will begin ongoing testing of students and other members of the campus community who are here in the Durham area and not exhibiting any symptoms of COVID-19. These additional tests will be conducted regularly beginning the week of Aug. 17.
In addition to the testing of all students coming to campus and the daily symptom monitoring, this additional step will help us identify and respond to the potential spread of the virus and limit the potential for local outbreaks. This ongoing testing process will begin with undergraduate students residing on campus. It will be expanded in subsequent weeks to include other Duke student populations and then faculty and staff who regularly interact with students on campus.
The self-administered process should take about 5 minutes, and testing sites will be established in multiple locations on East and West campuses for convenience. Collection of samples will involve a testing participant inserting a cotton swab into each nasal passage and rotating it against the inner nasal lining in a circle three times. The swab does not need to be inserted far—just enough so the cotton tip is no longer visible. The swab is then placed into a collection tube with a bar code, which will be placed in a bag and then deposited into a cooler at the collection station. Site coordinators at each location will ensure these tests are transported to a nearby lab and any positive test result will be communicated back to the student within 48 hours.
This testing process will be conducted throughout the fall semester. Duke hopes to make this as quick and convenient as possible for all participants, and it is critical that you participate to ensure we can maintain on-campus activities during the pandemic. Participants will need to bring their DukeCard ID or their mobile phone with the SymMon mobile app to one of the many testing sites that will be conveniently located across campus.
If you are selected for pool testing, you’ll receive an email and text message alerting you to your day. Please be sure to attend carefully to these texts and plan accordingly. You can find more information about the process, testing sites and answers to frequently asked questions on the Duke United website.
Thank you and go Duke,
John Vaughn, M.D.
Director of Student Health Services
Mary Pat McMahon
Vice Provost for Student Affairs
Gary G. Bennett
Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education
This message was sent to all Duke undergraduate students.
Sunday, August 9, 2020
Dear students,
As more students arrive to Durham each day, we write to remind you to please sign up for a MyChart account if you have not already done so. Signing up for a MyChart account will allow you to review the results of your COVID-19 test when they become available.
If you have not signed up for a MyChart account, please be on the lookout for another invitation from Student Health in the coming days, or check your email filter for a message from Duke_Health@duke.edu sent on 8/2/20. When you retrieve your activation code, you can visit https://www.dukemychart.org/home/ to complete your sign-up.
If you are having trouble setting up your account online, please call the MyChart Help Desk at 919-620-4555 or 1-800-782-6945, staffed M/T/W/F from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Thursday from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
We look forward to seeing you soon,
Student Affairs
This message was sent to all Duke graduate and professional students.
Saturday, August 8, 2020
Dear Graduate & Professional School Students,
We’re writing to share with you the most up-to-date information about COVID-19 testing and symptom monitoring protocols for Fall 2020. Both are essential steps in keeping our Duke community safe and healthy, and we thank you for your continued cooperation and flexibility as we rise to meet the challenges of an unprecedented year.
Please read this email carefully and thoroughly so that you understand what is expected of you.
COVID-19 ARRIVAL TESTING
As President Price shared in his community message on June 30th, all students who plan to be on campus for approved academic purposes are required to undergo testing for COVID-19 upon their arrival to campus. Any graduate or professional student who will be arriving in August or who is returning to campus after time away must be tested. Please note that your DukeCard will only be activated after your COVID-19 test has been administered and you have attested to both the Duke Compact and the Student COVID-19 Policies appropriate for your degree program. You are also expected to complete the daily symptom monitoring survey before coming to campus (detailed below). You will be receiving links to the relevant attestation platforms soon.
Please note that you should come to the Duke campus ONLY for your scheduled testing appointment and leave after your test is complete. Until your results are received and your DukeCard is activated, you will not have access to Duke facilities and should remain off campus.
COVID-19 testing for graduate and professional students will take place from August 17 through September 1 in Penn Pavilion, with appointment slots between 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. each day. Some programs have unique start dates that are after September 1 and you will hear from your schools on the expected dates for testing. You should sign up for a 10-minute appointment slot using the Transact app. Instructions regarding downloading this app and signing up for your testing appointment will be sent to you by your respective school. Your schools will provide information about which days of the testing schedule you may sign up for a testing appointment. Questions about scheduling your appointment can be directed to keeplearning@duke.edu.
If you are a graduate student who has been on Duke’s campus continuously this summer working in labs or participating in other academic activities, you will NOTparticipate in this arrival baseline testing process. The same exemption holds for CONTINUING students in clinical degree programs within the School of Medicine and the School of Nursing, who have continued in-person rotations during the summer. If you are a graduate student, an SOM student, or a DUSON student who falls into one of these two categories, your DukeCard will remain active. You will, however, be included in ongoing surveillance testing and daily symptom monitoring throughout the semester along with your graduate and professional peers and undergraduate students. To keep your DukeCard active, you will also need to attest to the Duke Compact and the COVID-19 PhD Student Policy Plan.
Beginning Monday, August 10, all graduate and professional students will be able to check the status of their DukeCard at https://dukecard.duke.edu/statuscheck. Just enter your DUID or NetID, and you will receive a card access status of either “active” or “inactive.” As a reminder, your status will show as inactive until you have:
DAILY SYMPTOM MONITORING
Tracking COVID-19 symptoms is another way Duke is working to keep the community safe as operations expand for the fall.
All University students, faculty and staff who wish to participate in activities on Duke grounds or in Duke facilities are required to download the SymMon app to complete the daily symptom survey before arriving or participating in activities on campus. Students must complete the survey starting on or before the day of their campus arrival and testing appointment.
The app is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play under the name “SymMon” (known to some of you as REDCap). Learn more about how to download and how to use the SymMon app. Duke may use data collected in this process to develop approaches for understanding where the virus may be spreading, and who is at risk. Student Health follows all provisions within Duke’s Acceptable Use Policy, Data Usage During COVID-19.
Thank you again for your engagement, support for one another, and flexibility as the Duke family continues to navigate and pivot to plan for a safe, healthy, and fulfilling academic year. We look forward to welcoming you back to campus in the coming weeks. If you have questions, please visit https://returnto.duke.edu/ or contact keeplearning@duke.edu or your academic dean.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Francis
Executive Vice Provost
John A. Vaughn, MD
Director, Student Health
Associate Professor, Family Medicine & Community Health
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