For months, we have asked you to self-screen daily for COVID-19 using the 1-Check UNMC app.
Kudos to the many who have adopted this practice before coming to campus. Now, we are asking all faculty, staff and students to use the 1-Check UNMC app daily — whether coming to campus or working remotely.
We know some of you may be thinking: “I screened ‘low risk’ yesterday so what’s the point of screening again (and again) when I don’t physically feel any different?” Others may wonder why I should use the app if I’m working remotely.
Good questions, and here’s why daily screenings are important — whether you are working on campus or working remotely.
As an epidemiologic tool, the 1-Check UNMC app helps monitor the COVID-19 health risk amongst the UNMC community, as well as protect our communities at-large. The aggregate data allows the UNMC Office of Health Security to identify health trends based on the types of symptoms that are being reported and make important plans to continue to support campus health and well-being.
That’s critical as UNMC strives to maintain in-person learning — especially as case counts rise across the state. Daily self-screenings also enable each of us to stay better attuned to any changes in our health so that we proceed based on our COVID-19 screening response and minimize the spread of the virus.
For those reasons, all faculty, staff and students should:
- Use the 1-Check UNMC app every day to self-screen. The screening, which takes less than a minute to complete, should take place before arriving on campus or as you begin your workday.
“Now is a time during which UNMC can and must lead in helping our community past this pandemic. We have to be vigilant about our health so that any illnesses among us do not spread to others,” said Jeffrey P. Gold, MD, chancellor of UNMC and UNO. “In the coming days, we will implement a system of screening verification, requiring individuals to show that they have screened (they will NOT be asked to divulge personal information) before gaining access to specific areas of campus.” (Read Dr. Gold’s entire message.)
Watch UNMC Today for details.