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From: Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President

COVID 19, Flu, Respiratory Illnesses

Dear OSU Community Members,

I hope you had a restful winter break and that the new year is off to a great start. I write with information and resources to contribute to your wellness as we move through the winter season. 

As you may be hearing, a new subvariant of Omicron – XBB.1.5 – has emerged that now makes up approximately 40% of new COVID-19 cases in the U.S. While XBB.1.5 appears to be more immune-evasive and potentially more contagious than other Omicron variants, it is not evident that it causes more severe infection of COVID-19.

If you have not done so already, I encourage you to obtain the bivalent booster to help protect yourself from infection and serious illness. Information on how to obtain boosters can be found here.

Fortunately, hospitals in regions where OSU is located are seeing low hospitalization rates among patients with COVID-19. While our communities are currently at “low risk” for COVID-19 based on the CDC’s community level designation, influenza and Respiratory Syncytial Virus are present both in communities and hospitals across Oregon.

As always, please stay home if you are not feeling well, get a flu shot and COVID-19 bivalent booster, and if you test positive for COVID-19 and you are an employee (including student employees), remember that OSHA requires you to inform your supervisor of an infection. There is guidance for both employees and supervisors on our Beaver Healthy website.

Vaccine Requirement

OSU continues to require all employees and students who work, learn, or engage with others in-person to show proof of their primary series of COVID-19 vaccination. This requirement helped OSU obtain a high degree of immunity and was a critical component of our public health response.

In the months ahead, the university wellness advisory team, in consultation with the local public health authority in counties where OSU has campuses, will evaluate whether a COVID-19 vaccine requirement will continue to be necessary. An update on the university’s COVID-19 vaccination policy will be provided in March.

Please see the Beaver Healthy website for guidance links to wellness resources.

Sincerely,

Dan Larson, Vice Provost for Student Affairs, OSU COVID Response Coordinator

Send Date: 
Thursday, January 19, 2023