As the COVID-19 strain of the coronavirus continues to make headlines across the globe, Winthrop University is preparing for the possibility that it could show up on campus. As of Monday afternoon, six presumptive cases of the COVID-19 virus are being investigated in South Carolina.
On March 4, an email was sent out to students by Assistant Vice President for University Communications and Marketing Ellen Wilder-Byrd on behalf of Winthrop’s Critical Incident Management Team. According to the email, the CIMT is “actively monitoring communications from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization.”
The email goes on to note that officials from the university “are in contact with our international students on campus and those Winthrop students who are currently studying abroad” and adds that they want to “ensure that all of our students are safe and healthy” regardless of their current location.
According to the email, the COVID-19 version of the common coronavirus is “newly identified” and can cause symptoms that may appear “flu-like,” such as fever, dry cough and difficulty with breathing. Additionally, COVID-19 “is causing an outbreak of pneumonia illness.”
Relatively little is known about COVID-19 although it is believed that the virus is spreading through “respiratory secretions.” Due to that belief, the email urges everyone to cover any coughs or sneezes, to avoid touching the face, to avoid contact with people who are sick and to stay away from others during times of illness.
Furthermore, the thorough washing of hands is of utmost importance. According to the email, hands should be washed with soap for at least 20 seconds, particularly before eating, after arriving home, interacting with others and after touching “high volume places” such as gas pumps, door handles/knobs, shopping carts and tables, for example.
The email recommends that anyone who has had symptoms of cough, fever and/or difficulty breathing and has travelled to China (particularly Wuhan), visited an area affected by COVID-19 or had contact with someone who has travelled to affected areas and has symptoms should isolate themselves from others and seek immediate medical care.
The CIMT said in the email that if one has symptoms, he or she should call ahead to a medical center and inform them of the symptoms being experienced.
In an email sent out on Saturday afternoon, Wilder-Byrd said that “any student, faculty or staff member who chooses to travel to a country designated by the CDC as travel warning level [three] or higher due to COVID-19 or an area experiencing widespread or sustained transmission of COVID-19 domestically will be asked to self-quarantine for 14 days upon return at their permanent address and be symptom-free before they can return to campus.”
Additionally, Wilder-Byrd wrote that South Carolina’s DHEC’s “continued guidance regarding steps to take if you have symptoms of fever, cough and/or difficulty breathing has been amended to state that you should NOT [sic] call the local health department but rather contact your healthcare provider for instructions.”
In an email to The Johnsonian, Director of Health and Counseling Services Jackie Concodora said that further campus updates will be posted to Winthrop’s website at the COVID-19 link.
“Additional instructions will be sent to employees and students via email, as appropriate, regarding changes in campus response,” Concodora said. “Please monitor the website and student email for those updates.”
Graphic: Maggie Claytor/ The Johnsonian
