**Please be reminded to bring your LIN with you**
Dear Students,
As part of our required COVID-19 arrival and surveillance testing program, fully remote undergraduate students living in Bethlehem, undergraduate students living off campus in Bethlehem and accessing campus, undergraduate students living in residence halls, graduate students taking in-person classes, and graduate students living in Lehigh housing must complete two rounds of arrival surveillance testing (select one appointment each week for a total of two appointments):
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February 2-4- Anticipating inclement weather early in the week, arrival testing will begin next week on Tuesday, February 2, and continue through Thursday, February 4. If there are changes to next week’s appointment times during this timeframe because of weather, this information will be communicated.
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February 8-11
You will also be selected at random to complete continued surveillance testing throughout the semester. Following the first two consecutive weeks of testing, students will be tested on average every other week.
The spring testing program will be slightly different from that of the fall, so please read the following carefully and in its entirety.
If you believe you have received this email in error, please contact inlutest@lehigh.edu with specific information about why you believe you are not required to be tested.
Scheduling your tests
You must make appointments for your two required arrival tests and all surveillance tests throughout the semester.
NEW for Spring 2021: You must sign up for an appointment time via this scheduling page. There is also the ability to manage appointments by creating an account on the scheduling page. Use your Lehigh email address when scheduling your appointment.
Please sign up by Sunday, January 31, for the first two consecutive weeks of testing (February 2-4 AND February 8-11, one test each week). You can sign up for both of your appointments now. Be sure to schedule your two tests 5-7 days apart (i.e., if you sign up for Thursday, wait until at least Tuesday for your next appointment). Appointment times are first come, first served. If your desired time does not appear as an option, no appointments remain for that time. In that case, please look to the next available time slot. You will have to go through the steps twice to schedule both of your appointments. To schedule your second appointment, click “schedule another appointment” after you have scheduled your first appointment.
Regular, randomly selected surveillance testing begins Feb. 15. When you are randomly selected for testing for a particular week, you will receive advance notification to sign up for an appointment via <check email for link>. Once you have scheduled an appointment, you will receive a reminder before your scheduled test time.
Do NOT complete an arrival or surveillance test if:
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You feel sick. If you are experiencing COVID-like symptoms, please contact the Lehigh Health and Wellness Center (HWC) at 610-758-3870.
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You have been identified as a close contact requiring quarantine. The HWC will arrange alternative testing for close contacts. Please note that a negative test does not remove a person who is identified as a close contact from quarantine.
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You have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 12 weeks. If you tested positive through a source other than Lehigh and have not notified the HWC, please indicate this by uploading your positive test results on the HWC patient portal with the required information such as your name, date of your test, the type of test (antibody tests are not accepted), and your results. Until this information is submitted, you will still be required to complete surveillance testing.
If you have received one or both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, you are still required to test. At this point, Lehigh is following guidance that students who have been vaccinated should still complete arrival and surveillance testing and quarantining as required. Please make and keep all testing appointments.
Important reminders about the test
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NEW: All testing will take place in the Butz Lobby of Zoellner Arts Center. Please enter the main Zoellner entrance via the west-side doors facing the Tamerler Courtyard. The testing stations are located on the 2nd floor of ZAC. You will queue up the stairs leading to the upper lobby. If you require elevator access, please take the elevator to the 2nd floor and queue there.
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In the event of inclement weather, please watch for communications from the university regarding the status of COVID testing for that day.
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Lehigh staff and testing representatives from the organization Drug Free Sport will staff the testing site with proper social distancing and health protocols in place. Students should hold to their scheduled appointment time to help minimize the number of students accessing the testing site at the same time.
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Students must complete the daily COVID-19 self-assessment before coming to the testing site to complete the Vault Health test, just as is required before accessing any campus buildings. Stay home if you do not feel well.
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Wear a face covering at all times, other than when you are taking your test.
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Arrive at the testing site at the scheduled appointment time with a smartphone or device. A smart device is required to log in or to register a new account.
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It is very important that you arrive at the testing site at your scheduled date and time. The testing process should take approximately 15 minutes per person. You may be asked to stand in a socially distanced queue to wait for your appointment. Please follow all directional instructions and maintain 6’ of distance from others at all times.
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A Lehigh staff member will be on site to ensure social distancing and the flow of appointments. Please have your Lehigh ID available at all times.
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Drink plenty of water so you are hydrated, which is key to producing enough saliva to successfully complete the test, but make sure to fast for 30 minutes before the test (NO food or drink, including water, and no smoking).
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Using a smartphone or device, scan the provided QR code to visit Vault’s web-app for questions regarding COVID-19 exposure/symptoms. You should bring your login information for the Vault Health account you created using your Lehigh email for your earlier tests.
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Enter the serial number on the Saliva Collection Device when prompted by the web-app.
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Provide a saliva sample under test supervision.
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Vault will return test results to all applicable parties electronically within 48-72 hours from the sample’s arrival at the lab.
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After completing your test, you should immediately leave the area and avoid congregating in groups. Social distancing and the wearing of face coverings are required at all times.
If you test positive
One can test positive for COVID-19 without symptoms. If you do test positive, you must isolate. Students who test positive will receive follow-up from the Health and Wellness Center and will be instructed to isolate as per our isolation and quarantine protocol.
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If you live off campus, you will be contacted by the HWC Contact Tracing Team.
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If you live on campus, you will be contacted by the HWC Contact Tracing Team and the Relocation Team with information about relocation to isolation housing.
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If you receive a positive result after the HWC closes on a weekday (4:00 p.m.), you can expect to hear from a HWC staff member the following weekday.
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If you receive your test result over the weekend, a clinician is available and on call at the number provided below for those experiencing medical issues; otherwise, you can expect to receive a follow-up from a HWC staff member on Monday. You should remain in your residence and self-isolate until you receive further directions from these teams.
If you are experiencing symptoms at any time, including while awaiting follow-up from the HWC for a positive test result, please call the HWC's main number at 610-758-3870. There is a HWC clinician-on-call after-hours and on weekends for medical concerns. At any time, if you are experiencing a true medical emergency, call LUPD at 610-758-4200 or dial 9-1-1.
If you test negative
Please remember that a negative test does not indicate that you are not infected or that you will not get infected in the coming days. It only indicates that you are not shedding detectable levels of the virus at the time that you took the test. Given the incubation time of the virus, tests will likely be negative for 2-3 days after the initial infection. Wearing a face covering, practicing social distancing, and practicing positive health behaviors are most critical.
Questions and Contact Information
-For all contact information, refer to the COVID-19 contacts resource page.
-If you have any questions about the status of your test results, contact Vault Health at covid@vaulthealth.com. Do not call the Lehigh University Health and Wellness Center for this information.
-For surveillance testing FAQs, please visit the COVID-19 Surveillance Testing page. For answers not covered by the FAQ, contact inlutest@lehigh.edu.
-For questions about COVID-19 related symptoms and symptomatic or close contact testing, contact the Lehigh University Health and Wellness Center at 610-758-3870.
-For all arrival information, visit: Pre-arrival and Arrival Requirements for Spring 2021.
Thank you for your careful attention to all of Lehigh’s health and safety protocols, as well as your active participation in our testing program. These efforts will help keep all members of our community healthy and help ensure a safe and successful semester.
Sincerely,
Nathan Urban, Ph.D.
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
David Rubenstein, Psy.D.
Executive Director, Health and Wellness Center