COVID-19 Resources

For Spring 2022, Trocaire College continues requiring that all students, employees, on-site vendors and visitors be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Current guidelines for managing the COVID-19 pandemic (January 2022)

Erie County Department of Health Guidance

We follow the Erie County Department of Health (EC-DOH) guidelines when addressing COVID-19 cases within our community.  The EC-DOH requirements for isolation and quarantine have changed and are summarized as follows:

Symptoms

If you are experiencing one or more symptoms of COVID-19, follow these steps and get tested for COVID-19.

• If you self-test at home, do so in a separate room from others and take these three key actions while waiting for your result. Note that you may not receive a call from a public health worker.
• If you test elsewhere, go home and self-isolate within your home. Take these three key actions while waiting for your result. Note that you may not receive a call from a public health worker.
• Follow these instructions from the CDC.
• If you test positive, follow the steps described below.

Positive COVID-19 test result

If you receive a positive COVID-19 test result, regardless of your vaccination status, follow these steps:

1. Isolate for at least 5 complete days, with Day 0 being the date your symptoms started or you were tested for COVID-19. Follow these important steps to keep yourself and those around you safe:
2. Wear a well-fitting mask when you need to be around other people.
3. Day 1 of isolation begins the day after you became symptomatic OR the day after your specimen was collected, if you do/did not have symptoms.

• Isolation ends after 5 full days if you are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication and your other symptoms have improved (Loss of taste and smell may persist for weeks or months after recovery and need not delay the end of isolation​).
• If you have a fever, continue to stay home until your fever has resolved for 24 hours, without the use of fever-reducing medications.
• If you had COVID-19 and had symptoms and were you were hospitalized, follow the instructions of your healthcare provider.

• After leaving your isolation, you must continue to wear a mask around others for 5 additional days. Wearing a well-fitting mask following isolation will decrease the small risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission to others. Respirators (e.g., N95 masks) are a useful option for personal protective equipment to protect people from exposures in specific settings.

• Notify your close contacts of their exposure as soon as possible. Your close contacts should follow the steps below (#3 or #4) and may need to self-quarantine (follow steps below).

If you performed a self-test at home, you do not need to report your positive result to your local health department. Results from tests performed at a pharmacy or laboratory are automatically reported to your local health department.

College Guidelines

Given the above, if you experience any symptoms or have a positive COVID-19 test result please follow the guidance provided above and: stay out of campus, clinicals and on-site college activities and:

• Contact Dr. Richard Linn at linnr@trocaire.edu to let him know of your status
• If you are a college employee – also contact your direct supervisor.
• If you are a student – also contact your academic program director as well as your instructors to let them know you will be out.

Vaccination

All employees, auxiliary staff, vendors and students are required to complete the primary COVID-19 vaccination series or obtain a medical or religious exemption. 

• CDC information on vaccinations can be found here:  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines.html
• Requests for exemptions should be made through Janet Peters, Chief Human Resources Officer (petersj@trocaire.edu)

Booster: As of this date, individuals are not required to obtain a booster vaccination but this could change and the college strongly recommends that all individuals obtain a booster when they are eligible.

• The Wellness Center is partnering with Wegmans Pharmacy to host a Covid-19 booster and Flu shot clinic on Monday, February 7^th 2022 between 10am-1pm. Please register in advance to reserve your spot. The pharmacy will come prepared with both vaccinations – preference is not required upon scheduling. To register, please visit TrocaireVaccines.
• Contact the Wellness Center with questions at 716-827-2579 or WellnessCenter@trocaire.edu

Campus Safety

The college has adopted a number of precautions to address keeping the campus as safe as possible during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Without addressing all of those precautions here, the following are in place at present:

• All employees, students, auxiliary staff, vendors and visitors must be vaccinated or hold an approved exemption from vaccination to be on campus.
• Facial coverings (masks) are optional, except for those individuals who have an exemption from vaccination – such individuals must wear a mask while on campus.
• Maintain physical distancing when practical.  For example, the number of occupants in small spaces such as elevators and restrooms should be kept to a minimum.
• To prevent the spread of infection, all community members should wash hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol to clean hands, especially after touching new objects, surfaces, face masks, etc.
• Regular cleaning of high-use areas and items that are touched repeatedly by multiple individuals