Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, MD, Monday thanked the campus community for helping realize UNMC’s mission every day. He went on to reinforce that scientific data and trends — both nationally and locally — have prompted UNMC to periodically change its campus safety guidelines to protect faculty, students, staff, patients and the communities served.
As Mark Rupp, MD, medical director of infection control and epidemiology at Nebraska Medicine and chief of the UNMC Division of Infectious Diseases, said: "This delta variant has really changed the game."
On Monday, Dr. Rupp joined Dr. Gold and Jane Meza, PhD, interim executive director for health security for UNMC and the University of Nebraska at Omaha, online during UNMC’s All-Campus Forum to discuss COVID-19, as well as other topics.
"We’re seeing a steep rise in all our indicators," Dr. Rupp said, noting the state of Nebraska is up to 500 cases per day and 25 cases per 100,000. More transmissible, the Delta variant is the predominant strain across the United States, he said, and "unfortunately, has brought back masking requirements."
UNMC requires all faculty, staff, students and visitors (including contractors, service providers and others) to properly wear a face mask at all times when indoors (including elevators).
Last week, UNMC also announced that all students, staff and faculty must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Oct. 22. The announcement was made on the heels of UNMC’s clinical partners – including the Department of Veterans Affairs, Nebraska Medicine, Children’s Hospital & Medical Center and others — announcing COVID-19 vaccination requirements for their employees.
Watch a recording of the Aug. 16 campus forum.
Requests for exemptions at UNMC may be made on the grounds of religious beliefs or medical circumstances. All requests for exemptions must be submitted before Sept. 15:
- Students must complete a vaccination exemption request form.
- Faculty/staff must complete the relevent vaccine requirement exemption form. The forms can be found on the HR-Employee Resources website.
Campus decisions, Dr. Gold said, are being made based on the science. "The science changes as we learn more and this virus continues to change," he said, noting that UNMC’s "policy, procedures and recommendations" will be based on the science.
The science also tells us that the vaccines — which are widely available — are effective, Dr. Rupp said. In addition, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently voted to recommend administering additional messenger RNA vaccine to certain immunocompromised individuals. Dr. Rupp noted a third dose will benefit the many immunocompromised patients within the med center’s transplant and cancer programs. "A third dose helps mount a more effective response (to COVID-19)," he said. Teams are working with the med center pharmacy and hopes to begin offering boosters soon to this group.
While vaccination is required, Dr. Meza said, UNMC will continue to deploy the ID badge stickers. Stickers went out last week for students whose vaccination status already is in the Health Tracking System, she said. Faculty and staff whose vaccination status is in the Health Tracking System should receive stickers soon. Individuals who received both vaccines through UNMC/Nebraska Medicine, have their information already recorded. Individuals who received one or both vaccines at another location should enter the Health Tracking System to record the information. Questions? Email healthsecurity@umc.edu.
In other business:
- Dr. Gold said he was pleased the University of Nebraska Board of Regents voted Friday to protect academic freedom on all its campuses, per NU Regent policy 4.1 and 4.2;
- Dr. Meza noted that the Douglas County Health Department will host a vaccine clinic during the Aug. 25 campus BBQ, which runs from 3-6 p.m. on UNMC’s Omaha campus. For non-Omaha campuses, officials are working with local health departments to make sure students, faculty and staff know where they can get vaccine.
- Enrollment for the fall is solid, Dr. Gold said, welcoming the first class of occupational therapy students. In addition, the NU Regents Friday approved a new respiratory therapy program that could begin in 2022 or 2023.
- UNMC Business and Finance is finalizing carry forward funds and will communicate that to the colleges and institutes in the near future.
- A legislative hearing on Oct. 5 will gather input on how to spend $1 billion in American Rescue Plan Act state funding. The university is developing a prioritized plan in hopes of acquiring some of the one-time funds, which must be expended before 2026.
- Campus planning continues on projects suitable for LB 588 deferred maintenance funds, as well as the federal government’s infrastructure bill.