You’ve been exposed to COVID-19, now what?
Written by John Kuykendall
The Coronavirus can be scary, but if you have been exposed the first thing to do is remain calm. Take a breath and begin planning.
Step one, identify if you have been exposed. The Centers for Disease Control indicates direct exposure as being within six feet distance for greater than 15 minutes of a person with a positive test or of a person who has symptoms.
Step two, if you meet the criteria outlined by the CDC, begin a 14-day quarantine after your last exposure and self-monitor for symptoms. The CDC recommends checking your temperature twice daily and specifically watching for a fever, cough, or shortness of breath.
If experiencing these symptoms or others, call Student Health Services at (205)934-3580, or if past the regular open hours call (205)934-3411. If you have life threatening symptoms, immediately call 911. These resources should be able to identify a more specific plan.
Step three, after calling Student Health Services, schedule a test three or more days after exposure. COVID-19 has an incubation period of three to 14 days, meaning a test before this time will produce results that might not be entirely accurate. However, the days in between exposure and symptoms still require proper measures of safety.
If your test comes back negative, the remainder of the 14-day quarantine is still necessary. This remainder of time is to ensure safety. If your test comes back positive, immediately notify Student Health Services and report it to the GuideSafe app.
After a positive test, on-campus students will move into quarantine isolation for the remainder of the contagious period outside of their Residence Halls. Off-campus students are recommended to also socially isolate.
As always, if you show symptoms, closely monitor them and report them through the daily health check. The best way to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is to maintain a social distance of six feet, wash hands frequently, and wear a face mask correctly.
You can also visit UAB’s FAQ page on Coronavirus here.
