COVID-19 Resources and Alerts

Updated February 18, 2021

News and Updates

Join Us for Two FREE Webinars

February 18, 2021

Addressing COVID-19 Mitigation at Rural, Small, and Medium Sized Institutions: Solutions from the Field
Live Event: February 26, 2021
3:00 pm-4:00 pm ET
Register Today! -- CE Credit Available

Let's Talk Campus Vaccines: Routine, COVID-19, and Everything in Between
Live Event: March 5, 2021
3:00 pm-4:00 pm ET
Hosted by American College Health Foundation with support from GlaxoSmithKline
Register Today!

Behavioral Change Approaches to Reduce the Spread of SARS-CoV-2

January 20, 2021
ACHA, in partnership with CDC, developed a document to provide examples of behavioral change approaches implemented by colleges and universities to promote everyday strategies that reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2. ACHA is working to turn the existing document into a searchable online directory and is asking for IHEs to submit their programs and policies for inclusion in the directory. Tell us about the approaches that your campus has been successful in using to reduce transmission by filling out this form.

ACHA Resources

ACHA COVID-19 Guidelines and Briefs

Considerations for Reopening Institutions of Higher Education for the Spring Semester 2021 [pdf] (posted December 29, 2020)
ACHA Brief: Considerations for Institutions of Higher Education as Students Return Home [pdf](posted October 29, 2020)
Supporting Vulnerable Campus Populations During the COVID-19 Pandemic [pdf](posted August 20, 2020)
Considerations for Reopening Institutions of Higher Education in the COVID-19 Era (posted May 7, 2020) Note: These guidelines have been replaced by the ACHA Guidelines: Considerations for Reopening Institutions of Higher Education for the Spring Semester 2021 (see above).
Preparing for COVID-19 [pdf] (posted March 3, 2020)

COVID-19 Testing

On September 30, 2020, CDC released Testing, Screening, and Outbreak Response for Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs). The ACHA COVID-19 Task Force will review its previously released briefs on testing in light of the CDC guidelines.

Checklists for Reopening Campus Medical Services Operations and Mental Health Service Operations

The ACHA COVID-19 Task Force has created two documents to assist with reopening operations, one specific to reopening medical services, and one to reopening mental health services. These resources were developed as a companion to the ACHA Guidelines: Considerations for Reopening Institutions of Higher Education in the COVID-19 Era, and are intended to assist directors and staff in assessing their readiness and preparation for reopening as well as serve as a guidepost for reinstituting and modifying services in the changed world of COVID-19.

Checklist for Considerations Related to Reopening Campus Medical Service Operations (revised January 26, 2021)
Checklist for Considerations Related to Reopening Campus Mental Health Service Operations (revised January 19, 2021)

The Impact of COVID-19 on College Student Well-Being

ACHA, in collaboration with the Healthy Minds Network, developed a new set of survey items related to students’ experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic. The new items focused on students’ attitudes, concerns, preventive behaviors, and their perceived supportiveness of colleges and universities related to COVID-19. View a brief data report which presents results from 18,764 students on 14 campuses that participated in the surveys from late March through May 2020.

ACHA Survey Reports on Health Centers' Pandemic Operating Status and Response

ACHA recently developed and administered two surveys to collect critical data to assist in the study of the COVID-19 pandemic event. The results included in these reports, "The COVID-19 Pandemic's Effect on Campus Health Services," represent a snapshot of the college health services' operating status and response at the time the surveys were conducted:

Weekly Update from COVID-19 Task Force

Archived Webinars, Q&As, and Events

COVID-19 Virtual Summit: Planning for Now, Building for the Future

>> This summit took place July 28 and 29, 2020. <<

ACHA COVID-19 Virtual Summit 2: 344 Days and Counting

>> This summit took place December 8 and 9, 2020. <<

Recordings of the sessions from ACHA's second COVID virtual summit are now available for purchase. Attendees will have access to the recordings via the Summit Event Portal. For those that were unable to attend, recordings can be purchased, with discounts available for ACHA members. Please note that we are unable to offer CE credit for the recordings. Learn more here.

Webinars and Q&As

ACHF Webinar: Case Studies: Best Practices in Sexual Health Promotion and Clinical Care in the COVID-19 Era

Recorded November 13, 2020. Sponsored by ACHF with support from Hologic. View the recording on ACHA's YouTube channel.

ACHA COVID-19 Task Force “Ask the Experts”: Creating Support Systems for Students in Isolation and Quarantine

Recorded Friday, November 6, 2020.
View the recording on ACHA's YouTube channel.

ACHA COVID-19 Task Force “Ask the Experts”: Contact Tracing, Isolation and Quarantine—Systems for Small, Medium, and Large Colleges and Universities

Recorded Friday, October 23, 2020.
View the recording on ACHA's YouTube channel.

ACHA COVID-19 Task Force “Ask the Experts”: SARS-CoV-2 Testing

Recorded Friday, October 9, 2020
View the recording on ACHA's YouTube channel.

CDC and ACHA COVID-19 Task Force “Ask the Experts”: Wastewater Surveillance

Recorded September 25, 2020. View the recording on ACHA's YouTube channel and download the slides.

ACHF Webinar: (Re)Introducing Best Practices in Sexual Health Promotion and Clinical Care in the COVID-19 Era

Recorded September 25, 2020. Sponsored by ACHF with support from Hologic. View the recording on ACHA's YouTube channel.

NFID COVID-19 Update: Preparedness and Response on U.S. College Campuses

Recorded April 15, 2020. Co-hosted by ACHA. View the recording here .

Mental Health in the COVID-19 Era

ACHA Q&A Session; recorded April 3, 2020. View the recording on ACHA's YouTube channel.

Telehealth in the COVID-19 Era

ACHA Q&A Session; recorded March 27, 2020. View the recording on ACHA's YouTube channel.

Update on COVID-19

ACHA Q&A Session; recorded March 20, 2020. View the recording on ACHA's YouTube channel.

ACHA COVID-19 Webinar: Updates, Resources, and Guidelines

Recorded March 18, 2020. As COVID-19 continues to spread across our nation, campuses are pressured to contain and mitigate the virus and its effects. ACHA held this webinar to provide an update on the spread of COVID-19 and an overview of ACHA's new guidelines on COVID-19 and other resources that are being used to help guide campus actions. This webinar is offered in partnership with Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors (AFA), the American College Health Association (ACHA) and the Association of College Unions International (ACUI). View the recording on ACHA's YouTube channel.

Vaccines

Mass Vaccination Guidance and Resources

The ACHA COVID-19 task force has gathered this list of resources to assist members in planning for mass vaccination clinics. See also this message from ACHA leadership regarding advocacy for SARS-CoV-2 vaccination of college health professionals.

CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Resources

CDC’s COVID-19 Vaccination Information for Healthcare Professionals and Jurisdictions provides information on:

Product Info by US Vaccine
Clinical Considerations
Provider Requirements and Support
Training and Education
Recipient Education
Planning & Partnerships
Vaccination Toolkits
COVID-19 Vaccination Reporting Data Systems

At the above link, see the following items which may be especially useful for campuses and campus health centers:

COVID-19 Vaccination Communication Toolkit for Medical Centers, Clinics, and Clinicians
This toolkit includes ready-made materials you can use to inform your healthcare teams and other staff.

V-safe After Vaccination Health Checker
V-safe is a smartphone-based tool that uses text messaging and web surveys to provide personalized health checks after someone receives the COVID-19 vaccine. Once registered, the vaccine recipient will receive a daily text reminder to check in and answer survey questions about health. Depending on their answers, someone from CDC may call. V-safe will also remind recipients when to get the follow-up vaccination.

FDA COVID-19 Vaccine Updates and Resources

FDA provides updates and information on vaccines that have received emergency use authorization (EUA). See “COVID-19 Vaccines Authorized for Emergency Use” for more information on common side effects, fact sheets for health care providers administering vaccine, and FAQs for each of the vaccines that have received EUA.

Immunization Action Coalition (IAC)

This page provides links to key COVID-19 vaccine resource pages from IAC, CDC, and other partners.
See also: COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines: What Clinic Personnel Need to Know

CDC Seasonal Flu Resources

CDC’s seasonal flu vaccination campaign materials are available to assist partners in communicating about the importance of vaccination. Includes digital and social media toolkits. Also provided are mass vaccination guidance.

Situation Updates

WHO Emergency Public Dashboard: Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Situation
The World Health Organization (WHO) Health Emergency Dashboard is a platform which aims to share information about public health events and emergencies. The data on the dashboard is refreshed every fifteen (15) minutes and data is accurate as at time of refreshing.

Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases by Johns Hopkins CSSE
Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) is tracking the COVID-19 spread in real-time in an interactive dashboard with data available for download.

Statista
Provides retrospective counts of new U.S. cases by date.

COVIDView
A weekly surveillance summary of U.S. COVID-19 activity. The report summarizes and interprets key indicators including information related to COVID-19 outpatient visits, emergency department visits, hospitalizations and deaths, as well as laboratory data.

Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington
Provides projections for all 50 states on when the projected peak of the pandemic will occur.

CDC Situation Updates:

Situation Summary
Cases in the U.S. (Includes total number of cases by date reported and total number of cases by symptom onset.)
Global Locations with COVID-19
Risk Assessment
CDC in Action: Preparing Communities

Information and Resources for Campuses

CDC Interim Guidance for Administrators of US Institutions of Higher Education

This interim guidance is intended to help administrators of public and private institutions of higher education (IHE) prevent the spread of COVID-19 among students, staff, and faculty.

CDC Guidance for Student Foreign Travel for Institutions of Higher Education

On March 1, CDC provided guidance to institutes of higher education (IHEs) for student foreign travel.

See the ACHA COVID-19 Task Force discussion of this guidance in the COVID-19 Update, March 5.

Communicating Information About COVID-19 to the Campus Community

CDC Communication Resources

CDC offers free resources including video, fact sheets, and posters. See this page to access current communication tools and resources available for use and distribution.

Event Planning Guidance

Key Planning Recommendations for Mass Gatherings

This document from the World Health Organization outlines key planning considerations for organizers of mass gatherings in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Information for Travelers

CDC COVID-19 Information for Travelers

State Department Travel Advisor ies

Institute for Disease Modeling COVID-19 InfoHub

The Institute for Disease Modeling’s (IDM) InfoHub contains epidemiological information and analyses about COVID-19 performed in the context of rapidly changing and dynamic circumstances. Critical information will be disseminated as quickly as possible. Features include this Glossary of Epidemiological Terms.

Resources for Health Care Providers

Information for Health Care Providers, First Responders, and Research Facilities

Nebraska Medicine: COVID-19 Resources for Providers

Nebraska Medicine and the University of Nebraska Medical Center have led the world in treatment, training, and quarantine methods for highly infectious diseases since caring for patients during the 2014 Ebola outbreak. See their COVID-19 resources for providers.

Courses and Other Educational Resources

Online COVID-19 Course from WHO

WHO is providing a free, short online course: Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).

CDC Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) Calls

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Update—What Clinicians Need to Know to Prepare for COVID-19 in the United States (Recorded March 5, 2020)
Outbreak of 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV)—Interim Guidance for Clinicians (Recorded January 31, 2020)

ACCME Novel Coronavirus Education Resources: Accredited CME Activities

The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) has created a list of accredited continuing education (CE) activities and additional resources that can help the CE provider and clinician community respond to the novel coronavirus public health emergency. Many of these activities are available at low or no cost.

ACHA COVID-19 Webinar

ACHA, the Association of College and University Housing Officers-International (ACUHO-I), and the National Consortium for Building Healthy Academic Communities (BHAC) partnered for this webinar (held March 6, 2020) on the current state of COVID-19, practical considerations for your campus, and more.

Protecting Health Care Workers

WHO Guidance on COVID-19 Outbreak: Rights, Roles, and Responsibilities of Health Workers

CDC: What Healthcare Personnel Should Know about Caring for Patients with Confirmed or Possible COVID-19 Infection

Licensure and Telehealth

HHS: Notification of Enforcement Discretion for telehealth remote communications during the COVID-19 nationwide public health emergency
Telehealth Resource Center
Alliance for Connected Care: Telehealth Guidance Documents
Higher Education Mental Health Alliance (HEMHA) Guide "College Counseling from a Distance: Deciding Whether and When to Engage in Telemental Health Services"
AAFP: A virtual visit algorithm: how to differentiate and code telehealth visits, e-visits, and virtual check-ins
ACHA Endorses AUCCDD's March 12 Telemental Health Advocacy Letter to Congress
Guide of Telehealth Rules Across State Lines (identifies rules/laws for marriage and family therapists, professional counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers to provide telemental health in the 50 states and the District of Columbia)
Federation of State Medical Boards—see this page for:

HIPAA and FERPA Information

HHS COVID-19 & HIPAA Bulletin: Limited Waiver of HIPAA Sanctions and Penalties During a Nationwide Public Health Emergency (March 2020)
U.S. Department of Education Student Privacy Office: FERPA & COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions (March 2020)
AASA and Future Privacy Forum COVID-19 and FERPA FAQs: This white paper offers insight into how the health or safety emergency exception under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) allows schools to share students’ personally identifiable information (PII) with the community and relevant officials during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mental Health

See additional resources under Licensure and Telehealth.

SAMHSA guidance and resources to assist individuals, providers, communities, and states to help them navigate challenges posed by the current COVID-19 situation
Mental Health America Information and Resources For Mental Health Providers
Mental Health, Higher Education, and COVID-19: Strategies for Leaders to Support Campus Well-Being
AUCCCD statement on safely re-opening college counseling centers

Other Resources

Literature Hub

LitCovid is a curated literature hub for tracking up-to-date scientific information about the 2019 novel Coronavirus. It is the most comprehensive resource on the subject, providing a central access to 1200 (and growing) relevant articles in PubMed. The articles are updated daily and are further categorized by different research topics and geographic locations for improved access.

Providing Facilities and Support to Hospitals

Tufts University is providing this Operational, Legal and Risk Considerations for Colleges and Universities outline that institutions can consider when entering into agreements to share their residential halls, grounds, and other campus facilities with hospitals, cities, and other entities in the fight against COVID-19. Tufts has also created this mathematical modeling tool to connect hospitals to nearby college campuses.

Patient Tools

CDC Coronavirus Self-Checker

The purpose of the Coronavirus Self-Checker is to help people make decisions about seeking appropriate medical care. This system is not intended for the diagnosis or treatment of disease or other conditions, including COVID-19. This system is intended only for people who are currently located in the United States.

Other

COVID-19: An Illustrated Scientific Summary: Yale University has posted this 8-minute "whiteboard," a simplified, scientific summary about the novel coronavirus and the importance of flattening the curve, hand washing, and physical distancing. The information is up to date as of March 29, 2020. See Research, Clinical & Data Driven Responses to COVID-19 for more from Yale.
ACHA signs letter in support of S. 3503, legislation to ensure that veterans can continue to receive GI bill benefits when campuses are forced to move courses online due to COVID-19.

ACHA Partners with Project N95

Project N95, a volunteer organization, is the national COVID-19 clearinghouse for personal protective equipment (PPE) and other critical medical equipment. They are a rapid response non-profit organization whose mission is to get critical equipment into the hands of frontline workers as quickly as possible.

If you need PPE or medical equipment, we encourage you to submit a request for equipment to Project N95. When you submit this request, please make sure to note that you heard about Project N95 through ACHA. If you have questions, you can contact Project N95 at requests@projectn95.org.