Future date telehealth appointments are available at mystudenthealth.miami.edu. Same day telehealth appointments are available by calling 305-284-9100.
Students who test positive for COVID-19 outside of Student Health or have been exposed to COVID-19 should complete the Student Health Service COVID-19 Self Report Form. Absence Verification: If you are a professor looking to verify a student’s absence from in-person class due to isolation/quarantine or other health related issues or a student looking to notify your professor(s) of an excused absence from attending in-person class due to isolation/quarantine or other health related issues, please complete the Absence Verification survey. Student Health will only confirm the dates a student is excused from attending in-person classes, private health information will not be disclosed. No information will be shared until the student provides Student Health with authorization to disclose these dates. Students, please note that you will still need to coordinate directly with your professor(s) regarding class lectures and assignments. Students can report concerns about unsafe behaviors of student groups or individual students to 'Canes Care for 'Canes.For COVID-19 Concerns
Contact SHS if you...
If you have been diagnosed with COVID-19 OR are waiting for test results:
To report a positive case of COVID-19 or exposure to COVID-19, please complete the Student Health Service COVID-19 Self Report Form. You can complete the form on behalf of yourself or someone else. If you require urgent clinical assistance, please call Student Health at 305-284-9100. For any other non-urgent issues, email Student Health at studenthealth@miami.edu.
How to get a viral test (for current infection): COVID-19 viral testing is available at the Coral Gables Student Testing site. More detailed directions to the testing site and parking instructions can be found here. To schedule a testing appointment: All positive test results from off campus testing locations should be reported to Student Health. How to self-administer your COVID-19 test:
Learn more about required COVID-19 testing for all students here. How to get an antibody test (for past infection): For information about antibody testing, contact us at studenthealth@miami.edu.
Any student who will be on any University of Miami campus at any point during the spring semester will be required to take a COVID-19 test at least once every week through the UScreen Testing Initiative. Students will receive emails and/or text message alerts to schedule their on-campus testing appointments. Testing sites will be located at the Gables, Medical, and Marine campuses. Test results from UScreen do NOT need to be uploaded to the Student Health portal. Although exempt from testing upon arrival, students who have tested positive since Nov. 1 will be required to schedule weekly tests once they receive a text alert from UHealth. UScreen testing is only for students who are NOT experiencing symptoms of COVID-19. Students that are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 should contact Student Health and make an appointment at the Student Health testing site. Students may be required by Student Health to take a test separate from, or in addition to, the UScreen testing requirement. Students may also schedule testing at the Student Health testing site by choice. Student Health COVID-19 testing takes place at the Coral Gables Student Testing site. Appointments and test results are available at mystudenthealth.miami.edu.
To upload your COVID-19 test results to the Student Health portal, please follow these instructions:
If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and would like to consult a healthcare provider, you can schedule a telehealth appointment at mystudenthealth.miami.edu. The CDC has created a Coronavirus Self-Checker to help you make decisions about seeking appropriate medical care. This system is not intended for the diagnosis or treatment of COVID-19 and does not replace the judgment of healthcare professionals or the performance of any clinical assessment. Apple has created a similar screening tool. People at higher risk for serious illness from COVID-19 should contact their healthcare provider early, even if their illness is mild. Older adults and people of any age with certain underlying medical conditions like heart disease, lung disease, or diabetes are at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19. If you develop emergency warning signs for COVID-19, get medical attention immediately. Emergency warning signs include*: *This list is not all inclusive. Please consult your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning. Call 911 if you have a medical emergency: Notify the operator that you have, or think you might have, COVID-19. Put on a face mask before medical help arrives.
People of any age with certain underlying medical conditions are at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19. The CDC website lists medical conditions that can lead to an increased risk for severe illness. If you are unsure, consult with a healthcare provider for guidance. Please also review the CDC’s website for information on reducing your risk of getting COVID-19 and actions you can take based on your medical conditions and other risk factors.
As per CDC recommendations, initial University supplies of the COVID-19 vaccine have been allocated to healthcare personnel. Health science students (Medical, Nursing, Physical Therapy) who are participating in clinical care will receive communications directly from their school and/or departments about immunization availability. The COVID-19 vaccine is expected to be available for others sometime this Spring. Additional information with be communicated at a future date. For more information about the safety, eligibility, and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine, please visit the CDC’s website.
The Food and Drug Administration has granted the vaccine Emergency Use Authorization, which means that it has been evaluated and shown to be safe and effective. To gain approval, any vaccine must have been tested in large clinical trials, scientifically showing that it is indeed safe and efficacious against the coronavirus. In the clinical trials, any side effects recorded were generally mild, occurred in a small number of people, and usually resolved in a few days. If you have any questions about whether you should take the vaccine, please contact your health care provider. For more information about the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine, please visit the CDC’s COVID-19 Vaccine Website.
COVID-19 vaccination will help protect you from getting COVID-19. You may have some side effects, which are normal signs that your body is building protection. These side effects may affect your ability to do daily activities, but they should go away in a few days. On the arm where you got the shot: Throughout the rest of your body: Visit the CDC's website for tips on managing the side effects from the vaccine. V-safe is a CDC smartphone-based tool that uses text messaging and web surveys to provide personalized health check-ins after you receive a COVID-19 vaccination. Through v-safe, you can quickly tell CDC if you have any side effects after getting the COVID-19 vaccine. Depending on your answers, someone from CDC may call to check on you and get more information. And v-safe will remind you to get your second COVID-19 vaccine dose if you need one. When you get a COVID-19 vaccine, your healthcare provider will provide instructions on how to register and use v-safe.
We understand that some people may be concerned about getting vaccinated. While more COVID-19 vaccines are being developed as quickly as possible, routine processes and procedures remain in place to ensure the safety of any vaccine that is authorized or approved for use. Safety is a top priority, and there are many reasons to get vaccinated: COVID-19 vaccination will help keep you from getting COVID-19 COVID-19 vaccination is a safer way to help build protection COVID-19 vaccination will be an important tool to help stop the pandemic For more information about the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine, visit the CDC’s COVID-19 Vaccine Website.
COVID-19 vaccination should be offered to you regardless of whether you already had COVID-19 infection. You should not be required to have an antibody test before you are vaccinated. However, anyone currently infected with COVID-19 should wait to get vaccinated until after their illness has resolved and after they have met the criteria to discontinue isolation. Additionally, current evidence suggests that reinfection with the virus that causes COVID-19 is uncommon in the 90 days after initial infection. Therefore, people with a recent infection may delay vaccination until the end of that 90-day period if desired.
It is important to have a plan to travel safely and to take steps to protect yourself and others. The CDC’s COVID-19 Travel website has important information to help you make a plan and provides tips for different types of travel. Make a detailed plan for traveling to and arriving at your destination. Check and abide by all local and federal guidelines regarding travel to your destination. Testing Prior to Spring 2021 Semester: All students will be required to test negative for COVID-19 before attending any in-person programs or classes on any campus. Testing will occur upon a student’s arrival to campus and students are asked to limit their activities until results are received. Click here for more information. If you get tested for COVID-19 prior to travel, remember that the test only reflects one point in time, there can be false negative results, and, in some cases, the virus may be contracted during travel. A negative test is not a license to end other preventative measures such as mask wearing and physical distancing.
Becoming infected with COVID-19 prior to your departure may delay your travel plans. Students who are sick, have recently tested positive for COVID-19, or have been exposed to a person with COVID-19 should delay travel to avoid spreading COVID-19 to others. You don’t want to miss out on a planned trip, but there are situations when cancelling or postponing travel makes sense for you and those you care about. Students in isolation or quarantine should delay their travel plans. If you have symptoms you are concerned about or have questions about traveling safely, you can contact Student Health. Learn more about when and for how long to delay travel to avoid spreading COVID-19. You can also reference this guide:
It is important to continue taking precautions after you travel, even if you feel well and do not have symptoms. Regardless of where you traveled or what you did during your trip, practice physical distancing, mask wearing, and handwashing upon your arrival. The most cautious approach upon arrival home is to quarantine for the first 14 days after arrival. This is especially important if there are vulnerable, higher risk individuals living in the home. If quarantine is not possible, stay physically distant from family household members, wear a face covering, and avoid close contact, including hugging and shaking hands, for the first 14 days home.
Quarantine is used to keep someone who might have been exposed to COVID-19 away from others. Quarantine helps prevent spread of disease that can occur before a person knows they are sick or if they are infected with the virus without feeling symptoms. People in quarantine should stay home, separate themselves from others, and monitor their health. Isolation is used to separate people infected with the virus (those who are sick with COVID-19 and those with no symptoms) from people who are not infected. People who are in isolation should stay home until it’s safe for them to be around others. In the home, anyone sick or infected should separate themselves from others by staying in a specific “sick room” or area and using a separate bathroom (if available). Students who have been exposed or potentially exposed to someone with COVID-19 and those with symptoms or a positive test for COVID-19 will be advised to self-isolate or self-quarantine. Affected students will be advised to follow self-isolation and self-quarantine guidelines.
Residential Students: Please visit Housing and Residential Life's Quarantine and Isolation website for more information about quarantine and isolation spaces. Non-Residential Students: On campus quarantine and isolation spaces will not be available for non-residential students. These students should remain in their off campus housing as long as they are able to isolate/quarantine appropriately per CDC guidelines. Alternatively, students may choose to isolate/quarantine at a local hotel at their own expense. The University’s Travel Management office has partnered with several hotels to provide discounts.
Stay home and monitor your health Review the CDC guidelines on self-quarantine and the Student Health guidelines on self-quarantine.
Stay home except to get medical care Review the CDC guidelines on self-isolation and the Student Health guidelines on self-isolation.
COVID-19 is thought to spread mainly through close contact from person to person, including between people who are physically near each other (within about 6 feet). People who are infected but do not show symptoms can also spread the virus to others. COVID-19 can sometimes be spread by airborne transmission, which means exposure to the virus in small droplets and particles that can linger in the air for minutes to hours. Viruses spread by airborne transmission may be able to infect people who are further than 6 feet away from the person who is infected or after that person has left the space. Available data indicate that it is much more common for the virus that causes COVID-19 to spread through close contact with a person who has COVID-19 than through airborne transmission. COVID-19 spreads less commonly through contact with contaminated surfaces. For more information, visit the CDC's website: How COVID-19 Spreads
People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19: This list is not all possible symptoms.
The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to this virus. The CDC recommends:
Severe illness: For those who are very sick, hospitalization may be required. In the hospital, patients receive oxygen and other treatments to help their breathing as well as supportive care and very close monitoring. Mild to moderate illness: Most people who are infected are able to stay home and monitor themselves for improvement or worsening. Over-the-counter medicines can be used to manage symptoms. Students who have tested positive for COVID-19 are provided care and support by Student Health staff and a contracted home health and nursing agency throughout their isolation. If you have questions regarding your symptoms, you may schedule a telehealth appointment at mystudenthealth.miami.edu.
Follow University guidance regarding the use of face masks as part of the "Protecting personal space" pillar. The CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings and when around people who don’t live in your household, especially when other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain. Continue to keep at least 6 feet between yourself and others. The cloth face cover is NOT a substitute for social distancing. For more information, review the CDC's recommendations and guidelines for cloth face coverings.
Limiting face-to-face contact with others is the best way to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Social distancing, also called “physical distancing,” means keeping space between yourself and other people outside of your home. To practice social or physical distancing stay at least 6 feet (about 2 arms’ length) from other people. Social distancing applies even if you are young and do not have any symptoms. Those who have no symptoms can still transmit the virus to somene else who is at risk of experiencing serious symptoms. Everyone has a role to play to reduce and slow the transmission of COVID-19 and protect those around us. We strongly encourage all members of the University of Miami community to truly practice social distancing. Review the CDC's website for more information on social distancing and how to protect yourself when leaving the home.
Your health and safety is our priority and we want you to know that we are taking all necessary precautions for our students. Here are our current safety measures:
All patients, employees, and providers wear masks while inside our clinic. Masks are provided for anyone who does not have one.
All employees are being screened before returning to work, and patients are being screened prior to on-site appointments. Anyone suspected of having COVID-19 or an exposure is treated in a different area and isolated from other patients.
Like all UHealth facilities, the Lennar Foundation Medical Center has signage reminding patients and staff of the safety guidelines. In addition, appropriate protective shields have been installed where needed, furniture has been rearranged to promote social distancing, and hand sanitizer stations are located throughout the facility and clinic. There is increased cleaning in high-traffic areas, high-risk areas, and frequently touched surfaces.