UTMB Employee and Student COVID-19 Information

Tracking exposures and ensuring timely testing is essential to protecting our workforce, students, patients, and visitors. The following requirements apply, regardless of vaccination status.  

• Summary of testing/isolation requirements

1. Employees and students who have a high-risk COVID exposure (i.e. both infected and exposed person are unmasked) at home, or at work (as determined by Infection Control staff using a workplace exposure assessment), may work on-site as follows:
• Regardless of vaccination status:
• The individual may continue to work while self-monitoring for symptoms for the next 10 days.
• They must wear a fit-tested N-95 mask, well-fitting KN95 mask, or double medical masks.
• They should not have any unmasked exposure to anyone at work, including during meal breaks.
• No COVID test is required if the individual remains asymptomatic.
• If the person becomes symptomatic, they must follow the "Sick Employee and Student" policy.
2. Low-risk exposures for employees and students: Low-risk exposure is when both the infected person and the exposed person are masked during their interaction. Such exposures do not require follow-up from Infection Control unless symptoms develop.
• Exposed individuals should self-monitor for symptoms for 10 days and may remain on-site while asymptomatic.
• All exposed individuals, if they become symptomatic, must follow the "Sick and Employee and Student" policy.
3. Employees who test positive—regardless of job duties or symptoms—are not permitted to work on-site until they satisfy the ‘return on-site’ conditions as below.
4. Students who test positive must self-isolate and contact Student Health immediately.
5. Cluster exposures and follow-up recommendations are determined by Infection Control and will be communicated to local leadership as necessary.
6. See the Testing webpage for information on how to schedule the appropriate test.

Updated 8/11/2023

Many COVID symptoms are also associated with allergies, colds and other minor conditions. During a surge in COVID cases, it is important to consider COVID as a possible cause of these or other symptoms.

Do not come to work, clinicals or class on-site if you are unwell for any reason. Go home if you become ill while on-site. Do not dismiss symptoms—even mild ones—until COVID infection is ruled out. Common symptoms seen in individuals who test positive for COVID are:

• Persistent headache lasting longer than 48 hours
• Runny nose
• Sore throat
• Congestion
• Sneezing
• Muscle aches
• Gastrointestinal distress
• Loss of sense of smell and/or taste
• Fever
• A new cough

Testing is recommended at the onset of any of these symptoms, regardless of vaccination status or lack of a known exposure. 

Updated 9/30/22

Screening/Diagnostic Testing After Exposure or Onset of Symptoms

Home-based COVID antigen tests are now accepted for initial diagnosis.

There are also several options for obtaining a COVID test at UTMB. 

• Self-schedule online
• Scheduled COVID testing is available in all UTMB urgent care ; locations 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., 7 days a week (holidays hours may differ).
• UTMB Employees: If you have questions contact Employee Health at (409) 747-9172 or emphlthc@utmb.edu.
• UTMB Students: Call Student Health: (409) 747-9508 stdwappt@utmb.edu.

Updated 8/11/2023

• All employees and students with COVID-19 infection MUST immediately report the COVID diagnosis to their supervisor, and Employee Health (409-747-9172) or Student Health   (409-747-9508).
• Please see "Return-to-Work for Sick Employees and Students" for guidance to return on-site.
• Employees testing positive outside of UTMB MUST email a copy of their results to Employee Health at emphlthc@utmb.edu. Employee Health will notify Infection Control of the positive result.
• Students testing positive outside of UTMB MUST email a copy of their results to Student Health at stdwappt@utmb.edu.
• Infection Control staff will collaborate with Employee Health and Student Health to identify positive staff and employees.

Updated 8/17/2023

Non-Healthcare Workers and Non-Clinical Students: Employees and students without patient contact may return to normal activities when symptoms are improving AND are fever-free for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication. No antigen test is required. As a reminder, employees must not be at work while ill. 

Healthcare Workers and Clinical Students: If you are a health care worker or clinical student at one of UTMB’s hospital campuses or surrounding clinics and you have a positive initial diagnostic test, you must stay home for a minimum of five days from the first onset of symptoms. Proceed with the options below when scheduling any additional antigen tests.

If you are feeling better at Day 5 or later, you MUST obtain a follow-up COVID-19 antigen test at a UTMB Urgent Care Clinic (home testing is not acceptable). Notify your supervisor and return to work regardless of the test result. There is no cost for this test when it is performed for return-to-work purposes.

• If the antigen test at day 5 is negative, or if the antigen test is positive and you are asymptomatic at time of test or mildly symptomatic (with improving symptoms), notify supervisor and return-to-work immediately, however you cannot care for immunocompromised patients. See below for neonatal patients. 
• If you are a health care worker caring for neonatal patients (Galveston or CLC), if the 5-day antigen is negative and the employee is experiencing improvement in symptoms, afebrile for 24 hours then they can return to work if symptoms do not interfere with work duties. If the antigen test is positive, then retake an additional antigen test at day 7. If the test remains positive, you cannot care for those in the neonatal ICU until 10 days from the onset of your symptoms, symptoms have improved, and you are afebrile for 24 hours without the use fever-reducing medication. Negative antigen tests at day 5 or 7 days must meet improvement in symptoms and afebrile for 24 hours. 
• Individuals with either a positive or negative follow-up test result must use a KN95 mask, N95 mask or double medical masks for an additional five days.
• You cannot have any unmasked interactions with others for 5 days after returning on-site. This includes taking breaks alone in a separate room and not eating in the presence of others.

While an employee is ill with COVID-19, the employee may use available leave accruals in accordance with applicable UTMB policies. No physician note is needed to return to work after five days or longer in the case of a COVID-19 infection.

Self-schedule a UTMB Employee COVID-19 screening:

• If an appointment time is not available for Day 5, some walk-in times and locations for Employee Back-to-Work antigen testing are available:
• Angleton Urgent Care, 2309 West Mulberry Street, Monday through Sunday 9 a.m.-Noon
• League City Campus Urgent Care, Medical Plaza One, 4th Floor, Monday through Sunday 9 a.m.-Noon  
• Galveston Campus Primary Care Pavilion, 400 Harborside Drive (park behind the building), Entrance C, Suite 110, Monday through Sunday 7:30 a.m.-Noon

UTMB students engaged in direct patient care or supporting health care operations should use the student health webpage or contact Student Health Services at (409) 747-9508 or stdwappt@utmb.edu to schedule the antigen test.

Updated March 2024