COVID-19 case management and student vaccination participation

In addition to the safety mechanisms we have on campus this term, we will be continuing our own in-house Case Management Team to support national test and trace efforts. This is in addition to recent student poll information that show very high rates of vaccination take up.

Effective management of confirmed COVID-19 cases is key to keeping our community safe. For the autumn term, targeted contact tracing will be managed through the NHS while our Case Management Team (CMT) will focus on supporting those members of our community who test positive. This is supported by the QR code system to check in to buildings and venues and a close working relationship with the local authorities and Public Health England.

How will contact tracing work

In the first instance, it is the responsibility of any colleague or student who tests positive to cooperate fully with NHS Test & Trace and with the CMT. While the main Test and Trace activity will be undertaken by the NHS service, our own CMT will play a supporting role in identifying any action we may need to take on campus.  Colleagues should report positive test results to their line manager and students should use the online form on Essentials.

If a student who tests positive has attended any recent teaching sessions, members of staff and fellow students who were in the same session(s) will receive a ‘warn and inform’ email from the CMT and may be contacted by NHS Test & Trace if they are identified as a close contact. There will no longer be a requirement for seating plans during face-to-face teaching sessions, so the ‘warn and inform’ instructions will give a reminder to monitor symptoms, take regular lateral flow tests, and follow instructions from NHS Test & Trace as appropriate.

The same approach will apply for colleagues who test positive and who have been working in shared office spaces.

Students living in Halls will be contacted directly by the CMT in the event of a positive case within their household. They will also be supported with guidance from NHS Test & Trace, which will be dependent on their vaccination status.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank colleagues who so generously volunteered to join the Case Management Team last year. They have played a critical role in minimising transmission in our University community and supporting those who tested positive or were required to self-isolate. The CMT continues to be staffed by volunteers taking time away from their usual roles and we are very grateful to them for doing so.

Student vaccine poll: Majority of respondents fully vaccinated

We recently wrote to just over 10,000 UG, PGT and PGR returning students to ask about their vaccination status.

86% of the 664 who responded have already received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, with a further 6% having already received one dose, and 2% intending to have their first dose soon. 5% of students who responded said they were not intending to be vaccinated. Nationally, 65% of 18 to 24-year-olds in England have received at least one dose, but we are seeing a similar picture to other universities who are saying that their students are getting vaccinated in larger numbers.  

A similar poll of new students carried out with incoming students during enrolment showed very similar results to that for returning students, with a significant majority having already received two vaccinations.

We continue to strongly encourage all students and colleagues to get both doses of the vaccine as soon as they can, and have arranged for an NHS ‘Health on the move’ vaccine van to come to campus this September and October.