Aug. 11, 2022
Dear students, faculty, and staff,
As we start a new academic year, we’re emailing you with a reminder on our COVID-19 policies and guidance and to provide information on the global monkeypox virus outbreak.
Dr. Elizabeth Talbot, a Geisel professor of medicine, infectious disease specialist, and New Hampshire’s deputy state epidemiologist, will be the featured guest in an online webinar about monkeypox for the Dartmouth community on Aug. 17, at 3:30 p.m. Viewers will have an opportunity to ask Dr. Talbot questions. Watch the webinar. If you are not able to join, the conversation will be recorded and available on the Dartmouth College Health Service website.
Dartmouth is working with the state of New Hampshire on monkeypox testing and vaccine access for students along with providing updates and information to our community.
COVID-19
COVID-19 policies and guidance remain the same as described in the message we sent on July 15. Below is an overview. You can find more information on the Dartmouth Together website. If you have questions, send them to covid-19.info@dartmouth.edu.
Travel
Check the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recommendations and requirements for the locations you are traveling to and for your return.
If you are participating in travel for Dartmouth, review our travel policy and resources.
We encourage you to wear a face mask when on public transportation.
COVID-19 testing
Students must complete a take-home antigen test before their first in-person gathering at Dartmouth.
Faculty and staff who have been away should test before returning in person.
If you test positive, wear a face mask, isolate immediately, and notify your close contacts. Read our resources for coping with COVID-19 and post-COVID.
Students must report positive results to the Dartmouth College Health Service by emailing dicks.house.nurse@dartmouth.edu.
Faculty and staff must report positive results to Axiom Medical by calling 833-408-1338. Axiom will notify close contacts who are Dartmouth students, faculty, or staff. Please notify all other close contacts.
You can pick up take-home antigen tests and KN95 masks at locations on and around campus. Read our frequently asked questions on testing.
Symptoms and close contact for COVID-19
If you feel sick or have COVID-19 symptoms, wear a face mask, limit close contact with others, and test immediately even if you tested positive for COVID-19 in the previous 90 days.
If you are a close contact, wear a face mask, limit close contact with others, and follow our testing and quarantine instructions.
COVID-19 vaccines
Students, faculty, and staff are required to receive all recommended doses in your primary series of COVID-19 vaccine, and one booster dose when eligible, or you must have an approved exemption. Read our vaccine policy and resources for further information.
Dartmouth strongly recommends that students, faculty, and staff stay up to date on your COVID-19 vaccines.
Monkeypox
Dartmouth leadership is monitoring the global outbreak of the monkeypox virus. There have been no cases of monkeypox reported in the Dartmouth community at this time. We expect that cases may occur over the course of the year and are preparing accordingly. We will provide updates as the situation evolves on campus.
General questions about monkeypox
CDC resources are available, including signs and symptoms, how monkeypox spreads, prevention steps, and data on the outbreak in the U.S. and globally.
Health departments are providing updates, including New Hampshire and Vermont.
Dartmouth Health has established a hotline for general questions at 603-650-1818, available from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday.
The Dartmouth College Health Service is sharing updates on their website.
Questions about your health
If you have new or unexplained symptoms consistent with monkeypox, if you think you have been exposed to monkeypox, or if you think you are more likely to get monkeypox, contact your health-care provider to see if you need to test, as well as to discuss your eligibility for a vaccine. Students can contact the Dartmouth College Health Service with questions about their health.
We understand that for some, monkeypox may be new while others may have been hearing about it for some time. With COVID-19 cases still occurring, and with academics, research, and work responsibilities, this may be a stressful time. For support, students can reach out to their student affairs office or other preferred contact as well as to the Dartmouth College Health Service. Faculty and staff can get support through the Faculty/Employee Assistance Program. Please do not hesitate to use these resources. We hope you are staying safe and healthy.
We look forward to seeing you on campus,
Dave and Rick