Health and Wellness | Student Health Services
Respiratory VirusesYou can take steps to protect yourself and the Saint Mary’s University community from respiratory viruses, including COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has released guidance that brings a coordinated approach to deal with risks from a range of common respiratory viral illnesses, such as COVID-19, flu, and RSV. These viral illnesses can cause significant health impacts and strain on hospitals and health care workers.
The CDC recommends the following steps and strategies:
- Stay up to date with vaccinations to protect against serious illness, hospitalization, and death. This includes vaccinations for flu, COVID-19, and RSV if eligible.
- Practice good hygiene by covering coughs and sneezes, washing or sanitizing hands often, and cleaning frequently touched surfaces.
- Take steps for cleaner air, such as bringing in more fresh outside air, using your room air purifier, or gathering outdoors.
- When you may have a respiratory virus:
- Use precautions to prevent spread.
- Seek health care promptly for testing and/or treatment if you have risk factors for severe illness; treatment may help lower your risk of severe illness
If you get sick with a respiratory illness, please take the following steps:
- Stay home and away from others.
- If you have COVID-19 or influenza, seek treatment. Current treatments can lesse symptoms and lower the risk of severe illness.
- Return to normal activities when, for at least 24 hours both of the following are true
- Your symptoms are improving overall, AND
- You have not had a fever (and are not suing fever-reducing medication)
- Once you resume normal activities, take additional prevention strategies for the next five days to curb disease spread.
- Take more steps for cleaner air
- Enhance hygiene practices
- Wear a well-fitting mask
- Keep a distance from others.