coronavirus; COVID-19; News; Editorial

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coronavirus; covid-19

Updated COVID Safety Guidelines for the Thanksgiving Holiday Break

Melanie Balog — Mon, 01 Nov 2021 13:10:25 +0000

Updated COVID Safety Guidelines for the Thanksgiving Holiday Break Melanie Balog Mon, 11/01/2021 - 09:10

Dear Patriots,

Thank you for your commitment to keeping the campus community safe and healthy. We have followed the guidance of public health experts, and it’s working. Mason has had only 304 positive COVID cases among our 50,000 plus population since the start of the semester. Vaccinations, mask wearing, physical distancing, and good hand hygiene, along with staying home if you feel unwell, have kept these numbers low and enabled us to come back to campus and remain safe.

As the winter season approaches and we look forward to the Thanksgiving holiday break, it is more important than ever to continue the practices that have kept our campus, our communities, and our families healthy and safe. Of course, this is easier said than done, and there is strong temptation to relax our standards. But with cold weather, the flu season and holidays ahead, we have to remind ourselves and each other to stay diligent and committed to the practices that have worked.

This is the right time to update some of our protocols and renew our commitment to what has kept our community safe:

Mask wearing: All individuals on our campuses must continue to wear masks indoors, including classrooms and laboratories, regardless of vaccination status. Vaccinated individuals do not need to wear masks outdoors; however, unvaccinated individuals are still required to wear masks outdoors when physical distancing cannot be maintained or at an outdoor university event.

Student COVID testing protocols: We have developed some updates to our COVID testing protocol to keep the Mason Nation and our families safe during the holiday season.

Exit Testing: 

All students are encouraged to test prior to leaving campus for Thanksgiving.

We recommend you do this 1-2 days before celebrating with those from outside your household to receive test results in time.

Residential Student Return Testing:

All residential students will be required to participate in return-to-campus testing.

This will happen the week of Nov. 29 (Monday, Nov. 29, Tuesday, Nov. 30, or Wednesday, Dec. 1).

Those with approved medical exemptions or who are not fully vaccinated must test twice the week of Nov. 29 with at least 48 hours between their first and second test.

Failure to comply with the testing protocol will result in a referral to the Office of Student Conduct.

Non-Residential Student Return Testing:

All non-residential students are encouraged to participate in return testing, by invitation or by self-selected on-demand testing.

Those with approved medical/religious vaccination exemptions and those who are not fully vaccinated (including those who have not had their vaccination documentation verified by Student Health Services) must test twice the week of Nov. 29 with at least 48 hours between their first and second test.

COVID Testing for faculty and staff: We are offering departure and return testing to any Mason community member.

COVID Health Check: All students and faculty who do not have a 100% remote or online exemption are still required to complete the Mason COVID Health Check daily, and should stay off campus if you feel sick.

Your dedication and compassion for your fellow Patriots has contributed to our success this fall. Protocols are working; masks are being worn across campus, and 96 percent of our students and 92 percent of our faculty and staff are vaccinated. Please continue to do your part by following these guidelines so that we can finish the semester healthy, safe and strong. Keep up the good work!

Sincerely,

Gregory Washington

President

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Moderna and Pfizer COVID vaccine booster shots available at Mason

Melanie Balog — Tue, 26 Oct 2021 00:32:39 +0000

Moderna and Pfizer COVID vaccine booster shots available at Mason Melanie Balog Mon, 10/25/2021 - 20:32

Mason Patriots,

The CDC and FDA have approved and recommended booster doses for certain individuals who received any of the three Covid-19 vaccines available in the U.S.

Pfizer and Moderna boosters are available for eligible individuals who completed their initial series at least six months ago. Eligible individuals include:

People 65 years and older
People age 18 to 64 years with underlying medical conditions
People age 18 to 64 years who are at increased risk due to occupational or institutional settings

Individuals who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are also eligible for a booster of any of the three vaccines available in the U.S., two months after their initial vaccine.

Pfizer and Moderna boosters are available at Mason. The vaccine clinic is open at Fenwick A on the Fairfax Campus, noon to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Schedule your vaccine appointment here (vaccine.gmu.edu) through the office of Safety, Emergency, and Enterprise Risk Management.

At your appointment, be prepared to present your COVID Vaccination card (preferred) or other record that documents your previous vaccinations. Please also bring a form of identification that verifies your name and date of birth. You do not need to provide proof of your medical condition, activities, or occupation.

Initial vaccine series of Pfizer and Moderna are still available.

Mason does not plan to offer vaccines to the 5-11 year-old age group.

Thank you for doing your part to protect the Mason Nation. For more information on Mason’s ongoing COVID-19 response please visit Mason’s Safe Return to Campus website.

Sincerely,

Safety, Emergency, & Enterprise Risk Management

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Safe Return to Campus

Mason’s low COVID case counts lead to revised surveillance testing strategy

Melanie Balog — Thu, 23 Sep 2021 17:46:13 +0000

Mason’s low COVID case counts lead to revised surveillance testing strategy Melanie Balog Thu, 09/23/2021 - 13:46

Fellow Patriots:

I have good news to share regarding ��ӽ紫ý’s fight to contain COVID-19. As we enter week six of the Fall 2021 semester, trends are looking very positive. For reasons I will explain fully in this message, I am pleased to share that soon we will significantly reduce required COVID testing for most who are fully vaccinated, and will offer free tests to any member of the university community who wishes to be tested, regardless of their vaccination status. The Mason community has earned this rollback in testing through its collective diligence in taking the many precautions to keep COVID at bay.

How we got here

As you know, for a safe and responsible fall reopening, we required all students, faculty, and staff to be vaccinated or attain an approved medical or religious exemption, and report their vaccination status. We have required that the unvaccinated be tested weekly and physically distance. We have tested thousands of students and employees per week, regardless of vaccination status, surpassing surveillance testing standards of other Virginia universities. And finally, we have maintained a mask mandate for indoors and close-contact outdoor settings.

This community has taken this fight seriously. Masks are worn across campus, and 96 percent of our students and 91 percent of our faculty and staff either are vaccinated or have received exemptions from vaccination.

As a result, we are consistently tracking just 80 to 90 cases each week, amid a university community of 50,000. Most of those cases are mild breakthrough infections among those who are vaccinated, because the vaccinated make up the vast majority of the Mason community.

Overall, our positivity rate has ranged from 1.06 percent among unvaccinated students living off-campus to as little as 0.23 percent among vaccinated employees. Best of all, we have not seen a post-Labor Day spike in cases that we were watching closely for.

Patriots, our hard work and diligence is paying off. We are keeping COVID at bay.

Transition

Based on the stability of the campus environment, and following public health guidance, mandatory weekly COVID testing will end for the vast majority of Mason community members starting Monday, September 27, namely those who are fully vaccinated. However, any employee or student who would like to be tested may do so – we welcome you to receive a free test on campus.

We will continue to require the following testing requirements for specific populations:

Twice a week – all unvaccinated residential students and student athletes.
Once a week – all unvaccinated students, faculty, and staff in high-contact roles, as well as all vaccinated student athletes. You will be contacted by the university for testing if you meet this criterion.
Once every two weeks – all vaccinated residential students and non-residential students, faculty and staff that are in high contact roles who are vaccinated. You will be contacted by the university for testing if you meet this criterion.

While non-high contact vaccinated employees and students will no longer be required to undergo periodic surveillance testing, circumstances throughout the semester may warrant ad hoc, circumstantial testing, such as a localized spike in cases, or after a large on-campus event in which attendees have been in a crowded setting for extended periods. In those cases, should you receive an email to be tested, you must follow the guidance and get tested. We also strongly encourage these individuals to come and test at any test site anytime they are concerned.

All students and faculty who do not have a 100 percent remote or online exemption are still required to complete the Mason COVID Health Check daily, as well as observe our mask policy, and stay off campus if you feel sick. We are getting the upper hand on COVID at Mason, but this battle is not over yet – while celebration is in order, so is continued smart management of our community. We will continue to make adjustments as conditions warrant.

The semester is young, but it is off to a very positive start, and that is because of you, fellow Patriots. Keep up the great work. I’ll see you around our campuses.

Sincerely,

Gregory Washington

President

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Update on Mason's surveillance testing strategy

Melanie Balog — Wed, 08 Sep 2021 20:09:08 +0000

Update on Mason's surveillance testing strategy Melanie Balog Wed, 09/08/2021 - 16:09

In This Story

Gregory Washington

Fellow Patriots:

Fall 2021 at ��ӽ紫ý is off to a very promising start. Despite the persistence of COVID-19, we have safely reopened our campuses to another record number of students.

The biggest success factor is you. More than 91 percent of Mason students, faculty, and staff are vaccinated, and nearly 94 percent of the community have uploaded their vaccination status, putting us in a very strong position to stay ahead of COVID-19 and its variants.

As the semester progresses, coronavirus presents a tremendous threat to those who are exempt from or unable to receive a vaccine, and even to some vaccinated individuals, who experience “breakthrough” cases of COVID. This is why we are conducting business a little differently than other Virginia universities. I want to explain what is – and just as importantly, what is not – happening at Mason.

Large-scale surveillance testing
This month, we are initiating the largest-scale surveillance testing protocol of any Virginia university, in which our goal is to test up to 13,000 members of the Mason community each week. By comparison, other Virginia universities are testing 500 to 3,000 individuals a week, with a focus on testing only those who are not vaccinated. Because the Delta variant of COVID-19 can occur even among the vaccinated, we are initiating a “dragnet” approach to find and isolate the virus wherever we can, and that includes testing those of us who are vaccinated, as well.

If you receive an email asking you to get tested, please do so regardless of your vaccine status.

Comprehensive notifications

Our outbreak mitigation and management team are also notifying every student, faculty, and staff member who may have been exposed to someone testing positive for COVID. These notifications include anyone in a student’s classroom, and can result in one positive case triggering multiple notifications to the same people if they have multiple points of contact, such as having more than one class together. For some, this has created the unintended perception that COVID cases are more widespread than they actually are.

In fact, our numbers remain remarkably low. Since August 23, we are tracking 83 positive cases among our 50,000 students, faculty, and staff. Our overall positivity rate among those being tested is 0.42%.

Expanded options for getting tested

Because Mason currently has sufficient testing capacity, for everyone’s safety, we are able to expand our surveillance testing. If you receive notification from Mason of a positive case in your classroom or work areas you are welcome to participate in surveillance testing if you are asymptomatic. Go to one of our on-campus surveillance test sites.

If you would like to self-select for an on-demand surveillance test you may do so, as long as capacity is available, at the Johnson Center on the Fairfax Campus on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Please be aware you may experience wait times of up to 30 minutes. For all surveillance testing, please remember not to eat or drink anything for 30 minutes before your test.

If you are experiencing symptoms please contact your primary health care provider and do not come to Mason’s campuses.

Reminders for health and safety protocols

The Mason COVID Health Check is your ally. Complete it every day, no matter what. Faculty are encouraged to ask students to show their Health Check as a condition of attending in-person class. Students, faculty, and staff who cannot produce green Health Check emails should not be in our classrooms or on campus.
Masks are required in all indoor settings unless actively eating or drinking. Students needing masks can go to the information desk in SUB 1 or the Student Involvement office in the HUB, Suite 2300, where masks are available free of charge. All students in classrooms must properly wear their masks such that they are covering both their nose and mouth.
And as always, good hand hygiene through handwashing or use of hand sanitizer, completing the Mason COVID Health Check each day, and staying home if you feel unwell are all critical parts of our public health strategy.

Mason is weathering this phase of the pandemic admirably – because of you. Patriots, let’s keep it up! Have a healthy, safe, and productive semester.

Sincerely,

Gregory Washington

President

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Office of the President

Mason announces new vaccination requirements for fall semester

Melanie Balog — Thu, 22 Jul 2021 18:04:12 +0000

Mason announces new vaccination requirements for fall semester Melanie Balog Thu, 07/22/2021 - 14:04

Fellow Patriots:

As we make final preparations for fully reopening ��ӽ紫ý, I am writing to share that we have new and urgent work at hand to ensure a safe return next month. Our community has done an admirable job at keeping one step ahead of COVID-19, preventing even a single known case of classroom transmission and keeping overall COVID cases to a minimum.

But COVID-19 is on the march with the spread of the far more contagious Delta variant, which the World Health Organization calls the “fastest and fittest” version of COVID yet. Children and adults under 50 are 2.5 times more likely to contract the Delta variant, according to Yale Medicine.

As CDC Director Rochelle Walensky has said, “This is becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated.” In just one week, new cases shot up 70 percent in the United States. Hospitalizations rose 36 percent, and deaths rose 26 percent – with 97 percent of all new hospitalizations occurring among the unvaccinated.

For the sake of all who are unable receive vaccination, the single most effective way to avoid the virus and stop its spread is for the rest of us to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

Therefore, Mason is joining the growing community of universities that require all students, faculty, and staff to get vaccinated, and to share verification of their vaccination status, in order to work, study, and live on campus. We will, of course, approve appropriate exemptions for medical and religious reasons. Watch Dr. Washington's message here.

Mason students, faculty, and staff are required to share vaccination status through Mason COVID Health Check and, if vaccinated, your documentation through the Health Service portal by August 1. Faculty and staff that are not yet fully vaccinated by August 1, must receive their first shot by August 15.

Students seeking a medical or religious exemption must do so by August 1. Employees seeking a medical or religious exemption must do so by August 15.

Vaccines are available on the first floor of the Johnson Center on the Fairfax campus. They are also widely available through community clinics and healthcare providers. Visit vaccines.gov to locate vaccination providers nationwide.

This requirement is consistent with Mason’s longstanding history of protecting our community through requiring students to be immunized against diphtheria, tetanus, poliomyelitis, measles (rubeola), German measles (rubella), mumps, Hepatitis B, and meningitis. It is extended to faculty and staff for COVID-19 because the extraordinary nature of the pandemic demands it.

I recognize that a mandate is an extraordinary step to take, and one not taken without serious consideration of the public health situation and the safety of our community. This week I received the unanimous support of my Executive Council to move forward with the universal vaccine requirement, and I have taken this step for the sake of the health and safety of every Mason Patriot.

Thank you in advance for your continued commitment to maintaining your own health and that of your fellow Mason Patriots. We will see you on campus very shortly.

Sincerely,

Gregory Washington

President

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Mason supports Fairfax County Health Department vaccination clinic

Melanie Balog — Thu, 04 Feb 2021 15:35:42 +0000

Mason supports Fairfax County Health Department vaccination clinic Melanie Balog Thu, 02/04/2021 - 10:35

Dear Patriots,

��ӽ紫ý this week will support a two-day Fairfax County Health Department mass COVID-19 vaccination clinic. The health department is running the clinics, which will serve eligible residents and employees of Fairfax County who have registered with the county health department to receive vaccines. This is not a walk-up clinic for Mason employees or for county residents. You must have a scheduled appointment to receive a vaccine.

To support the County’s efforts to vaccinate eligible residents, dozens of Mason faculty, staff and students will assist with the clinic. Faculty and students who meet County requirements will administer the vaccine.

If you have questions about availability and registration for vaccine, please use this tool to determine how and when to access vaccine. As information about vaccine availability through Mason’s partners or Mason becomes available, information will be shared with the university community.

Sincerely,

Julie Zobel, PhD

Associate Vice President for Safety, Emergency, and Enterprise Risk Management

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��ӽ紫ý expands testing and tracking behind faculty research

Colleen Rich — Wed, 27 Jan 2021 20:28:46 +0000

��ӽ紫ý expands testing and tracking behind faculty research Colleen Rich Wed, 01/27/2021 - 15:28

In This Story

Lance A. Liotta

��ӽ紫ý announces it is introducing a rapid-result, saliva-based COVID-19 test that will greatly expand testing capabilities on its campuses this spring. The effort, led by Mason's faculty, is part of a comprehensive program to better track and control the virus on campus.

Mason scientists, who are pushing the boundaries of technologies that are keeping Mason's campuses safe, are also developing an antibody test that can track a body's response to the virus and vaccine. See more in this video.

The use of the saliva test with the recently acquired Fluidigm system, designed to analyze large numbers of test samples, will help Mason increase testing capacity from 1,000 tests per week to a goal of 10,000 by March, said Lance Liotta, co-director and co-founder of Mason's Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine, who leads the CAP CLIA laboratory in which the COVID testing takes place.

CAP CLIA accreditation—from the College of American Pathologists (CAP) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services through the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA)—ensures laboratories provide precise test results and comply with professionally and scientifically sound laboratory operating standards.

'The more we test, the more we are able to identify people who are positive at the earliest stages of the infection and therefore stem the spread of infection,' said Ali Andalibi, senior associate dean for the College of Science. 'That's what we're striving toward.'

Liotta leads the multidisciplinary team that is internationally recognized for its expertise in diagnostic testing. The team pivoted from its primary work in cancer research to take up the fight against COVID-19, following the start of the global pandemic last spring.

Mason was a model during the Fall semester for its efforts to combat the spread of the virus, with some of the lowest COVID-19 case numbers among Virginia's largest higher education institutions, and no known transmission in its classrooms.

'I've been very gratified to see the enormous amount of effort being put forth by Mason scientists in all the colleges toward the COVID crisis,' Liotta said. 'We collaborate with scientists in many different sectors of Mason, as we work together to develop these new strategies all the way from testing, to the methods, to how you collect samples, and how you care for patients.'

The saliva test, which received an Emergency Use Authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, will help track symptomatic and asymptomatic cases on campus and will be available at five sites across Mason's three university campuses. The samples will be analyzed at Mason's Science and Technology Campus in Manassas, Virginia, in the laboratories directed by research professor Virginia Espina. Turnaround time for results will be two days or less.

Julie Zobel, Mason's associate vice president for Safety, Emergency and Enterprise Risk Management, and her team led efforts to set up the campus infrastructure for testing. That entailed construction of five testing sites with card scanners, check-in counters and private saliva-collection booths. About 50 people, including 20 licensed medical professionals, were hired to staff the sites.

It's been a challenge, but we've had a large team of medical professionals, emergency and risk managers, researchers and lab personnel, and IT and finance professionals working tirelessly over the past five months to get us to this point,' Zobel said. 'I am proud to be part of such a high-performing and driven team all working toward keeping our community safe.'

Liotta's team is also validating a novel test that measures a body's antibody response to the virus and COVID vaccine. The test will help researchers understand a person's post-vaccination response, how long individuals will remain resistant to the virus and how a person's immune system fights the virus.

'The antibody test is going to be the future because everyone wants to know, did the vaccine work for them?' Liotta said. 'Somebody who has immunodeficiency syndromes gets the vaccine. Did the vaccine work for them? We can answer that question. We can also tell whether a patient should be donating their plasma to treat others.'

About ��ӽ紫ý

��ӽ紫ý is Virginia's largest public research university. Located near Washington, D.C., Mason enrolls 38,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. Mason has grown rapidly over the last half-century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity and commitment to accessibility. Learn more at www.gmu.edu.

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Safe Return to Campus