January 5, 2020 (updated October 7, 2022)
This page explains the UMB system for helping our community members understand what to do in the event of COVID-19 illness or exposure.
January 5, 2020 (updated October 7, 2022)
This page explains the UMB system for helping our community members understand what to do in the event of COVID-19 illness or exposure.
Please use the COVID-19 Report Form to describe your situation. When you submit the form, the system will send you an email with guidance based on current protocols for actions to take if you have symptoms, a positive test, or an exposure. The following guide outlines the advice, based on your role and situation.
If you are seeking medical advice, contact your health care provider.
If you have additional questions after reviewing this guidance, please email UMBOccupationalHealth@som.umaryland.edu.
Please review the glossary at the end for definitions, including counting days after exposure or illness.
If the form does not load at all, please send a message to UMBOccupationalHealth@som.umaryland.edu. This error is usually easily and quickly fixed by a team member “rebooting” the form project.
If you get an "Access Denied" message (often with an odd and inaccurate explanation that you appear to be out of the country), please try accessing the form using a different web browser. If this does not work, then read the protocols below for information you need to manage your situation. Don’t worry about reporting if you can find the information you need at our site. If you still have questions, please contact your health unit for assistance:
Student Health – shealth@som.umaryland.edu
UMB employees – UMBOccupationalHealth@som.umaryland.edu
FPI employees – FPIEmployeeHealth@som.umaryland.edu
These protocols are aligned with the latest CDC guidance. The email you will receive if you submit our COVID-19 report form is very similar to the CDC's guidance, but UMB's form guidance will provide more local nuance including where you can get tested nearby.
The CDC web page linked above also offers a helpful Isolation and Exposure Calculator.
NOTE: The protocols for healthcare workers are different than those on this page.
One of the most important public health steps to contain this pandemic is to identify those who were exposed to others with COVID-19 and notify them of this exposure, so they can quarantine and get tested. It is important to do this as soon as possible.
Current Health Department protocols limit contact tracing interviews to those with patient contact, therefore not everyone with a positive test is interviewed to identify contacts.
We would appreciate your help if you are feeling well enough. Please review this Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) information PDF about how to identify and talk with your close contacts, so they can take steps to prevent further spread.
If you are uncomfortable revealing your positive status to your contacts, you could notify them by using the anonymous contact service Tell Your Contacts.
If you work at any University of Maryland Medical System site or Faculty Physicians, Inc., clinical practice (as a student or employee), please follow the University of Maryland Medical Center instructions.
Otherwise, follow the instructions below:
A contact is being with someone in the two days before they got COVID-19 or in the first few days of them having COVID-19. Please read the Close Contact/High-Risk Exposure definition for more information.
The person you were in contact with has COVID-19, was not wearing a mask, and you:
Symptoms may appear two to 14 days after exposure to the virus. Anyone can have mild to severe symptoms. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:
This list does not include all possible symptoms. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will continue to update this list as it learns more about COVID-19. Older adults and people who have severe underlying medical conditions like heart or lung disease or diabetes seem to be at higher risk for developing more serious complications from COVID-19 illness.
Isolation is used for people who have a positive test or are infected with COVID-19. This is to separate those who have a positive test or have COVID-19 from those who are not infected.
People who are in isolation should stay home until it is safe for them to be around others. At home, anyone sick or infected should separate from others, stay in a specific “sick room” or area, and use a separate bathroom (if available).
Day 0 is your first day of symptoms or a positive viral test. Day 1 is the first full day after your symptoms developed or your test specimen was collected. If you have COVID-19 or have symptoms, isolate for at least 5 days.
Day 0 is your first day of symptoms or a positive viral test. Day 1 is the first full day after your symptoms developed or your test specimen was collected. If you have COVID-19 or have symptoms, isolate for at least 5 days.
A negative test is when a PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) test or rapid antigen test did not detect the COVID-19 virus. Please refer to the chart for which test result is acceptable in your scenario and how many negative tests are required.
You are not required to submit documentation of a negative test to return to school or work. A verbal or written notice that you are healthy to return to work or school is sufficient.
To return to work/school when recovering from a COVID-19 infection, two successive negative rapid antigen tests 24 hours apart would be the best option. A rapid antigen test is preferred if following up from your initial positive test because it is better at detecting infectious virus particles being present.
A negative PCR test is also acceptable, but note that a PCR test on day 5 could be positive even if the infection has cleared.
A PCR test detects the presence of the COVID-19 virus. A PCR is preferred if you are showing symptoms or suspect you have COVID-19 because the test is more sensitive. However, when testing to return to work or school, please note that a PCR test could be positive on the fifth day of recovery even though you are no longer infectious. These tests are commonly used at pharmacies and clinical settings, and results can take as little as 24 hours but possibly three days or more when laboratories are overwhelmed.
Antigen tests are commonly used in the diagnosis of respiratory pathogens, including influenza viruses and respiratory syncytial virus. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted emergency use authorization (EUA) for antigen tests that can identify SARS-CoV-2, which is the coronavirus that can lead to COVID-19 infection.
A rapid antigen test can detect the presence of the virus to determine if you are infectious at that moment in time. These tests are relatively inexpensive, and most can be used at the point-of-care. Most of the currently authorized tests return results in approximately 15–30 minutes.
At UMB, rapid home test kits are acceptable. Please read the UMB COVID-19 Rapid Antigen At-Home COVID-19 Test Kit Guidance for details.
To return to work/school when recovering from a COVID-19 infection, two successive negative rapid antigen tests 24 hours apart would be the best option because it is better at detecting infectious virus particles being present.
The Maryland Health Department is offering free at-home BinaxNOW self-test kits. To receive a free test kit in your area while supplies last, please view the list of local health department contacts.
Some self-tests are designed to be used in a series. Serial self-testing is when a person tests themselves multiple times for COVID-19, or on a routine basis, such as every few days. By testing more frequently, you might detect the virus that causes COVID-19 more quickly and could reduce the spread of infection.
At UMB, rapid antigen tests are recommended for serial testing. Please refer to the guide above to determine which days serial testing should be completed.
At UMB, rapid home test kits are acceptable. Please read the UMB COVID-19 Rapid Antigen At-Home COVID-19 Test Kit Guidance for more details.
Up-to-date on vaccination: Completed COVID-19 primary vaccine in last 6 months OR received at least one booster OR had COVID-19 in last 90 days
Not up-to-date on vaccination: Completed COVID-19 primary vaccine more than 6 months ago, with no booster, OR not yet completed COVID-19 vaccine OR not vaccinated
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