Dear Members of the Georgetown University Community,
I’m writing to follow up on President DeGioia’s message from earlier today with a reminder about the University’s arrival testing protocol and information about additional booster shot clinics on campus this month.
As President DeGioia shared in his message, we are currently experiencing an unprecedented surge of COVID-19 cases locally and nationally because of the Omicron variant, with test positivity rates in DC and in our University community near or above 20%. We are expecting disruptions to campus operations this month as a result of this surge, and we are making appropriate preparations. We will continue to monitor public health conditions and update the Georgetown community about any adjustments to campus services or health and safety measures. I know this surge is presenting new challenges for many of us, but I am confident that we will continue to support and care for one another in the days ahead. I’m also hopeful that we are reaching an inflection point in the pandemic and that, once this current surge subsides, the virus will have less of an impact on our daily lives.
Arrival Testing
Students, faculty and staff who will be on campus for Spring 2022 need to get tested prior to their departure to DC or arrival at their on-campus room, office or off-campus residence, following the arrival testing protocol on the University’s COVID-19 Testing Protocol page, regardless of their vaccination status or whether they have traveled or remained in the local area. If a PCR test is taken through a third-party provider, or your have taken an at-home antigen test, including if you’ve received a positive test result within the last 90 days that you haven’t shared with Georgetown yet, please email the test result to covid19-test-results@georgetown.edu. Individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 in the 90 days prior to their arrival are exempt from PCR testing, but all students who live on campus will need to take an antigen test immediately upon arrival (regardless of whether they have tested positive in the 90 days prior to their arrival). Residential students will receive additional information regarding arrival testing this week.
As a reminder, if you develop symptoms consistent with COVID-19, please remain in your residence, do not go to class, work or other events on campus, and report your symptoms to the Public Health team by completing the COVID-19 Symptom Check-In survey via the GU360 mobile app or website.
If you test positive through One Medical testing on campus or report a positive result from a third-party provider, you will receive a message from Georgetown’s Care Navigator team with guidance on isolation and contact tracing. Staff and AAP employees may use COVID-19 Paid Time Off, if needed, and should inform their supervisor.
Booster Shot Clinics
With gratitude to Dr. Leanne Lash and the Student Health Center staff, we have organized additional opportunities for students, faculty and staff to receive a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot on campus. Booster shots increase our immune response and help prevent severe illness and hospitalization from COVID-19.
The Main Campus booster shot clinics will be held in the Student Health Center (on the ground floor of Darnall Hall, next to Epicurean) on:
- Friday, January 7, from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
- Thursday, January 13, from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- Friday, January 14, from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
The Law Center booster shot clinic will be held in the Student Health Center (on the Lower Level of Gewirz) on:
- Tuesday, January 11, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Please register in advance. We have limited availability and will schedule appointments based on the time of form submission and eligibility. We will keep a waitlist for appointments, if needed.
We will be offering the Moderna booster shot. The Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have authorized and supported the mixing and matching of vaccines for booster doses, so you may get a Moderna booster shot regardless of the vaccine you received for your primary series.
Effective January 21, 2022, students, faculty and staff must receive a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot when eligible, or have an approved medical or religious exemption. We strongly recommend that everyone get a booster shot as soon as they are eligible (i.e., 2 months after receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, 5 months after receiving the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, or 6 months after receiving the second dose of the Moderna vaccine or other WHO-approved vaccines). Pharmacies throughout the country and near our campuses also have booster shot appointments available. Please visit Vaccines.gov to find the closest vaccination site to you.
When you get your booster shot, please upload documentation of this dose via the GU360 mobile app or GU360 website.
As a reminder, staff/AAP employees may use COVID-19 Vaccination Paid Time Off for their booster shot appointment and to recover from any short-term side effects of the vaccine.
If you have questions about the booster shot clinics, please contact the Public Health team’s vaccine coordinator at HoyaVaxa@georgetown.edu. If you have other public health-related questions, please contact covidcarenavigator@georgetown.edu or visit the University’s COVID-19 Resource Center for more information.
Sincerely,
Ranit Mishori, M.D., MHS, FAAFP
Professor of Family Medicine, Vice President and Chief Public Health Officer