Nov. 17, 2022
Dear students, faculty, and staff,
We are looking forward to welcoming winter in Hanover and we’ve just seen the first snow on the Green! We know this is the season where illnesses, including flu and COVID-19, can circulate at higher levels. We’d like to share some steps you can take to stay healthy and help protect others around you whether you are traveling or staying close by.
Get vaccinated if you haven’t already. Dartmouth is hosting a COVID-19 booster clinic tomorrow at which students, faculty, and staff can get a bivalent booster vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna). Walk-in visits are limited. Please schedule an appointment and read our vaccination resources for details. For information on flu vaccines, the Dartmouth College Health Service provides flu vaccine resources for students and the Wellness office provides flu vaccine resources for faculty and staff.
We’d also like to give you early notice that Dartmouth will host on-campus COVID-19 booster clinics on Jan. 4 and 9. A registration link will appear in Vox Daily and on our vaccination resources page in mid-December.
Have COVID-19 tests and face masks on hand. It’s good practice to have at least two take-home antigen tests and a few masks on hand. Students, faculty, and staff can pick up tests and KN95 masks at pick-up locations on and around campus. Read our testing resources for more information.
Monitor yourself for symptoms. If you feel sick, avoid others as much as you can. If you have to be around others, wear a face mask until you feel better. If you have COVID-19 symptoms, take a COVID-19 test, and if your result is negative, but you still feel sick, test again 48 hours later.
If you test positive for COVID-19, isolate. Students, faculty, and staff who test positive for COVID-19 are required to isolate. Students must report their positive test result to the Dartmouth College Health Service by emailing dicks.house.nurse@dartmouth.edu and notify their close contacts. Faculty and staff must report their positive test result to Axiom Medical by calling 833-408-1338. Axiom will notify close contacts who are Dartmouth faculty or staff and work with the Health Service to notify Dartmouth students. Faculty and staff must notify all other close contacts directly.
If you were exposed to someone with COVID-19, take precautions. Wear a face mask for a full 10 days and test after six days or sooner if you have symptoms. Read our close contact exposure resources for more information.
Follow public health guidance. Read the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s travel guidance and COVID-19 prevention actions for information.
If something feels off or if you have questions, get help. Please don’t hesitate to contact someone for help. Mental health resources are available, including phone numbers for emergency mental health support, ways to make a counseling appointment, and information on health and wellness offerings at Dartmouth. Resources on coping with COVID-19 and post-COVID are also available. If possible, keep your health-care provider in the loop. Students can contact the Dartmouth College Health Service with questions about their health.
Looking ahead, testing requirements for starting a term or program at Dartmouth remain the same: Students must complete a take-home antigen test before their first in-person gathering at Dartmouth, and faculty and staff who have been away should test before returning in person. Thank you for continuing on this journey with us. We look forward to seeing you in 2023, if not before.
Sincerely,
Dave and Rick
David Kotz ’86, Provost
Rick Mills, Executive Vice President