Share
 
 

May 1, 2023

Dear Spelman Community,

As we approach the final stretch of the spring semester, please take notice of these important dates and COVID-19 related information:

  • COVID-19 Operations will host a series of free wellness kit distributions for the campus community on Thursday, May 4; Monday, May 8; and Wednesday, May 10, 2023, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. in the Beverly D. Tatum (BDT) Suites Private Dining Room. The wellness kits contain supplies such as sanitizer, masks, and COVID-19 self-test kits with an estimated retail value of $100. Please note that the expiration date of our free antigen self-test kits has been extended by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). You may continue to use the tests as needed for your self-care. See the new expiration dates.

  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recently simplified COVID-19 vaccine recommendations. Effective April 19, 2023, the monovalent (original) mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, also known as the primary vaccination series, will no longer be recommended or available for use in the United States. The bivalent COVID-19 vaccine is now the recommended vaccination for everyone 6 years and older (regardless of whether you have previously completed the monovalent primary series). Unvaccinated individuals who choose to get vaccinated will now receive a single dose of a bivalent vaccine, rather than multiple doses of the original monovalent vaccine. See the CDC press release.

  • Beginning May 11, 2023, the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) has announced that it will end the Federal Public Health Emergency (PHE) for COVID-19. Subsequently, HHS will transition COVID-19 response from a pandemic emergency to an endemic phase. This shift is based on current COVID-19 data that shows that daily COVID-19 cases are down 92%, new COVID-19 hospitalizations are down 80% and COVID-19 related deaths have declined by over 80%. View the press release from HHS here: COVID-19 Transition Roadmap.

  • Thanks to COVID-19 vaccination, higher population-level immunity, and low rates of community transmission within the AUCC and surrounding Atlanta metropolitan areas, Spelman will transition to the AUCC COVID-19 Residential Isolation in Place protocol for residential students beginning in Fall 2023. It is important to note that our AUCC partner institutions at Clark Atlanta University and Morehouse College adopted the AUCC COVID-19 Residential Isolation in Place protocol in August 2022. More information to students will be forthcoming.

A huge thank you to each of you for all your efforts in keeping our community safe. You have done a spectacular job.

Kind Regards,


Yemi Brown, PharmD
Manager, COVID-19 Operations
covidinfo@spelman.edu



Spelman College
350 Spelman Lane
Atlanta, Georgia 30314
https://www.spelman.edu/



Email Marketing by ActiveCampaign