Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information & Resources

University Changes Effective April 26, 2023

All new non-clinical faculty, staff and students throughout Thomas Jefferson University are no longer required to have completed a COVID-19 primary vaccination series as a condition of employment or university admission as per the Philadelphia Department of Health (April 12, 2023).

Exceptions:

• Students and faculty/staff who are clinical (participate in educational activities involving patient exposure or activities within a healthcare facility) are still required to have completed a COVID-19 primary vaccination series.*
• Some clinical training locations that are not part of Thomas Jefferson University require that all students, including visiting students, be “up-to-date” with COVID-19 vaccination. (“Up-to-date” is defined by CDC as having completed a COVID-19 primary vaccination series and the most recent booster.) As a result, students are strongly encouraged to become “up-to-date” in anticipation of rotating at one or more of these outside training locations.

*Unless they receive an approved exemption.

A Message from Mark L. Tykocinski, MD

To All Thomas Jefferson University Faculty, Staff & Students:

I am pleased to announce that, over the past few weeks, COVID-19 case rates have been steadily decreasing in the Philadelphia region. After much discussion with the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, Jefferson has made the following adjustments to our COVID-19 policy and guidelines on campus:

• Mask Mandate:
• Effective March 21, 2022, masks are no longer required indoors and are optional in non-clinical settings. Instructors cannot require or ask students to wear masks in classrooms, however individuals are free to wear masks if they choose. Any instructors who have questions should contact their department chair.
• Students, faculty and staff in hospital and clinic/outpatient settings are still required to follow hospital guidelines and wear proper masks/PPE. Please review the enterprise masking guidelines you received via email on 3/11 for further details.
• Visitor Vaccination Policy: Effective immediately, University visitors no longer need to provide proof of vaccination to come on campus.
• Cafeteria Guidelines: Effective immediately, Jefferson IDs are not required to purchase food in cafeterias. Please note that catering services remain limited at this time.
• On-Campus Events: Refreshments are now allowed at on-campus events.
• Residence Hall Guests: Students may now have one guest each in the residence halls. The guest must bring proof of full vaccination in order to be admitted as a guest.

For additional details, please refer to the Jefferson Playbook which has been updated as of March 9, 2022. Students can access the Playbook in the Student Portal. Faculty and staff can access the Playbook in myJeffHub.

While this is certainly a turning point in the pandemic, please note that we still must remain vigilant and take certain safety precautions. We will update the mask, distancing and gathering policies should conditions warrant. As a reminder, if you have been exposed to COVID-19, are symptomatic or have a confirmed positive test, please follow the instructions below:

• Students: Call 215-951-0168 or contact Students.COVID19@jefferson.edu.
• Faculty & Staff: Use the JOHN COVID Hotline Tool for immediate screening and further direction.

Please continue to check your Jefferson email for important updates. If you have any questions, please contact Peter.Miller@jefferson.edu.

Thank you.

A Message from Mark L. Tykocinski, MD

To All Thomas Jefferson University Faculty, Staff & Students:

As we start the semester, I wanted to share some important updates made to our Jefferson Playbook to help keep you informed about how we are navigating this semester during the evolving COVID-19 pandemic.

Here are some highlights of the changes made to the Playbook:

On-Campus Masking and Social Distancing Policies

• The University requires all persons, regardless of vaccination status, to wear surgical ear-loop masks or other medical-grade masks in all indoor University locations.
• Cloth masks when worn singly are not permissible. Cloth masks are permissible only when a surgical ear-loop mask is worn underneath.
• The University will provide, as supplies are available, surgical ear-loop masks at entrances to libraries and many other buildings on our campuses, as well as in many academic program offices, administrative offices and student services locations. Individuals are highly encouraged to also procure their own masks.

Off-Campus Masking Policy

• Faculty, staff and students must wear masks in indoor settings when off-campus under the following circumstances: 
• When traveling in a University-owned or procured vehicle, and;
• When in an indoor setting for a University-related event, program or other activity (with the exception of student-athletes participating in an athletics event), and;
• Faculty, staff and students must follow the mask requirements stipulated by local regulations (including transportation providers and event providers) when travelling for University business or for a University-related program or event.

COVID-19 Vaccine Policy

• Jefferson’s Vaccine Policy applies to all full-time, part-time, matriculated and non-matriculated students at Thomas Jefferson University. Online-only students with no on-campus presence and no experiential or clinical rotations are exempt from this policy. Students in programs with didactic coursework taught online that also includes clinical or experiential rotations are subject to this policy and must complete full vaccination. All students, including online learners, who anticipate a need to come to campus at any point during the course of a semester must abide by the vaccination requirements set forth in this policy. 

Athletics

• The NCAA COVID-19 Medical Advisory Group will continue to assess emerging COVID-19 information and develop health and safety considerations in order to provide guidance to the entire NCAA membership. The advisory group is not a policymaking body, therefore they do not mandate anything of the membership. Rather, NCAA defers to each institution to develop their respective COVID-19 policies and restrictions in conjunction with their local/state governing bodies. 

Students can view these changes and more by logging into BannerWeb and clicking "Spring 2022 Student Playbook." Please review the Playbook thoroughly for comprehensive details pertaining to all University policies, procedures and operations.

In addition to the Playbook, please review the following reminders:

• Guidance for Possible COVID Symptoms and/or Exposure: Students who are confirmed positive, symptomatic or those who have been exposed to COVID-19 should contact the COVID-19 Line: Students.COVID19@jefferson.edu or 215-951-0168. Please be sure to leave your full name and call-back number. Students can also access Jefferson’s telehealth platform, JeffConnect, free of charge if they are feeling ill. Visit Jefferson.edu/JeffConnect for more details. Students who utilize JeffConnect should still call or email the COVID Line after the appointment.
• Surveillance Testing: The University reserves the right to carry out surveillance COVID testing on random samples of Jefferson students (including vaccinated students) during the academic year. The testing protocol is based on guidance from population health experts and clinical leaders at Jefferson and public health agencies, and is designed to help detect levels of infection, particularly among asymptomatic individuals. Student participation in this program is mandatory and a requirement for remaining on campus. The University will communicate testing dates, times and locations to students by email during the week prior to their test, and students are excused from classes during the times of their tests.
• Visitor Policy: All visitors must complete an online vaccination attestation form prior to their visit. Visitors must also bring proof of vaccination to campus and be prepared to present it to a University official if requested. The online visitor attestation form can be found here. Visitor access to campus may be affected by pandemic conditions, and any restrictions will be communicated to all students, faculty and staff.

It's important that you continue to check your Jefferson.edu email regularly for updates and refer to Jefferson.edu/Coronavirus, where detailed FAQs and other important resources can be found. If you have any questions, please contact Peter Miller, Senior Associate Provost for Academic Enterprise Initiatives.  

Thank you.

A Message from Mark L. Tykocinski, MD

To All Thomas Jefferson University Faculty, Staff & Students:

First, on behalf of the University leadership team, I’d like to wish you a Happy New Year.  

While the situation with COVID-19 continues to change, we are all looking forward to a productive spring semester. However, the realities of the COVID-19 variants and the effect on the resources required to begin the semester on time now necessitate that we make the changes below.

Also, over the coming days and weeks, we will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation and if it is necessary to make additional changes to these latest plans, we will communicate in a timely manner by email and on our Coronavirus website.

CHANGES FOR THE SPRING 2022 SEMESTER:

Jefferson – East Falls Campus (including Voorhees, JIB and Bucks County)

• The spring semester will begin on January 12 as remote learning only through Friday, January 21. In-person learning will begin on Monday, January 24.
• All health-related students’ clinical requirements remain unchanged. You may receive further instruction from your programs regarding clinical and small group experiences, as necessary.
• A staggered move in to the residence halls will be held between January 21 and January 23. 
• More specific information will be forthcoming from Residence Life. Room and board charges will be prorated to reflect changes in the schedule.

Jefferson – Center City Campus (including Dixon)

• All mandatory large group lectures/meetings will switch to an online format, effective immediately and continue through January 23.
• All small group classes (as determined by your specific college) and clinical and laboratory experiences/rotations will continue as scheduled and planned. More information will be forthcoming from your programs, as necessary.

As a reminder, we are strongly encouraging all faculty, staff and students to get a booster shot as soon as possible. Booster shot appointments are available at Jefferson’s community sites and local pharmacies. Visit vaccines.gov to search additional options near you.

Also, students who are confirmed positive, symptomatic or those who have been exposed to COVID-19 should contact the COVID-19 line via email at Students.COVID19@jefferson.edu or call 215-951-0168. Please be sure to leave your full name and call-back number.

Students can also access JeffConnect (Jefferson’s telehealth platform) free of charge if they are feeling ill. Visit Jefferson.edu/JeffConnect for more details. Students who utilize JeffConnect should still call or email the COVID line after the appointment.

We look forward to welcoming you back in-person for the spring semester later in January. As always, please stay vigilant, wear your mask and be careful. Thank you.

A Message from Mark L. Tykocinski, MD

TO ALL FACULTY, STAFF AND STUDENTS

With the rise in cases of the delta and omicron variants locally and around the world, we are strongly encouraging all faculty, staff and students to get a booster shot as soon as possible over the holidays.  Booster shot appointments are available at Jefferson’s community sites and local pharmacies. Visit vaccines.gov to search additional options near you. The University will also hold pop-up booster clinics on our main campuses beginning in January. 

At this point our intention is to begin the spring semester as originally planned and on time.  We will continue to follow all of our COVID-19 protocols, which have served us well throughout the pandemic. Over the coming days and weeks, we will carefully monitor the COVID-19 situation and how it is evolving. If it is necessary to make any changes to our plans for your safe return to campus and our ability to optimize safety on campus, we will communicate any updates on changes in a timely manner by email and on our Coronavirus website.

I am proud of how we have managed and how you have handled the challenges presented to us by the pandemic. I know that all of us are looking forward to a time when we can be together under more normal conditions. In the meantime, our goal is to enable you to continue your studies and progress academically in as safe an environment as possible.

We look forward to welcoming you back for the Spring semester.  Please stay vigilant and be careful.  Wear your mask.

I wish you a safe, happy and healthy holiday season.

A Message from Mark L. Tykocinski, MD

To All Thomas Jefferson University Students:

I hope your semester is off to a fantastic start. To help keep you informed about how we are navigating this semester during the evolving COVID-19 pandemic, please continue to refer to Jefferson’s Fall 2021 Playbook. Students can access the Playbook by logging into BannerWeb and clicking "Fall 2021 Student Playbook."

Here are some highlights of the changes made to the Playbook as of September 20:

• COVID-19 Vaccine Policy
  • Exempted students who are on clinical rotations and are away from Philadelphia can obtain weekly PCR tests on their own and communicate those results to shs.results@jefferson.edu
  • Faculty, staff and students are required to disclose their vaccination status when complying with University policy regarding submitting proof of vaccination, requesting a waiver of vaccination, participating in surveillance testing, and other requirements. As a reminder, faculty, staff and students should not ask other individuals on campus about their vaccination status, and are not required to disclose their own vaccination status if asked outside the reasons listed above.
  • In accordance with City of Philadelphia regulations regarding required vaccination for individuals at colleges and universities, all university visitors must be fully vaccinated. Campus visitors will be required to complete an online attestation form to confirm they are vaccinated before arriving on campus. More details forthcoming. 
• University Mask Policy
  • Masks are required indoors in all University buildings regardless of vaccine status.
  • Any member of the University community can report non-compliance of the masking and social distancing policies to their RA, University leadership, or confidentially and anonymously to Jefferson’s Alert Line: 833-ONE-CODE (833-663-2633) or Jefferson.MyComplianceReport.com
• Meetings & Events
  • Events may occur in compliance with guidelines of the local/state jurisdiction, and all attendees must wear masks. For indoor meetings/gathering/events, no food or drinks are to be served or consumed at the activity.  Grab-and-go food can be dispensed at the conclusion of the activity. For outdoor meetings/gatherings/events, food and drinks can be served and consumed, but social distancing must be maintained.

Please review the Playbook thoroughly for comprehensive details pertaining to all University policies, procedures and operations.

In addition to the Playbook, please review the following reminders:

• Surveillance Testing: The University will carry out surveillance COVID testing on random samples of Jefferson students (including vaccinated students) during the academic year. The testing protocol is based on guidance from population health experts and clinical leaders at Jefferson and public health agencies, and is designed to help detect levels of infection, particularly among asymptomatic individuals. Student participation in this program is mandatory and a requirement for remaining on campus. The University will communicate testing dates, times and locations to students by email during the week prior to their test, and students are excused from classes during the times of their tests.
• Guidance for Possible COVID Symptoms and/or Exposure: Students should follow this guidance if they have symptoms that are associated with COVID-19 infection, have been diagnosed with COVID-19, or believe they have been recently exposed to COVID-19.

It's important that you continue to check your Jefferson.edu email regularly for updates and refer to Jefferson.edu/Coronavirus, where detailed FAQs and other important resources can be found. If you have any questions, please contact Peter Miller, Senior Associate Provost for Academic Enterprise Initiatives.  

Thank you.

SENT ON BEHALF OF:

Enterprise Incident Command Center

TO ALL JEFFERSON STAFF, FACULTY AND STUDENTS

Cases of the highly contagious COVID-19 Delta variant have been rising across our country. We have begun to see this trend occur at Jefferson and in our region. Thankfully, our experience at Jefferson aligns with national data in demonstrating the truly remarkable success of vaccination to prevent hospitalizations and death.

Recent evidence suggests that the current vaccines may not always prevent vaccinated people from passing COVID-19 to others that may be more vulnerable.  As always, our priority is safety. 

Therefore, we are adjusting our mask recommendations and requirements while we learn more about the impact of the Delta variant – see the attached PDFs sent via Jefferson.edu email on August 4, 2021:

Thank you for everything that you are doing to keep yourselves and our patients safe. Please check your email regularly as well as our internal and external websites for updates. We will continue to keep you informed as we move forward together. 

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Watch the Latest Zurlo Report: Learn about the effectiveness of vaccination -- including studies on the Delta variant, how we measure vaccine immunity, and vaccine booster shots from Jefferson Infectious Diseases director Dr. John Zurlo. Watch the video link sent via Jefferson.edu email on August 4, 2021.