To:       USC Students

Cc:       USC Faculty and Staff, USC Parents

Re:       COVID-19 Safety and Other Key Reminders

Fr:        Sarah Van Orman, MD, MMM, FACHA

We are looking forward to a vibrant fall semester, and the arrival of our students for the beginning of the academic year.

As we prepare to greet one another in person once again, we want to share important reminders with the community to continue to take precautions regarding COVID-19 in our campus communities.

Currently, Los Angeles County is experiencing a slight decline from a high level of community transmission (7,009 new cases reported as of the week ending 7/28) that has trended throughout the summer months, driven by the BA.5 subvariant of Omicron. Some of the cases include reinfection in individuals who previously had COVID-19.

We strongly recommend wearing medical-grade masks or respirator masks (including surgical, N95, KN95, KF94) when indoors around others to reduce transmission and risk of infection. Masking is most effective when there is both a good fit (no gaps, covering the nose, mouth, chin) and good filtration. 

All students, faculty and staff are advised to test (1-2 days) prior to traveling to campus. You may use an antigen test (home kit) if that is most easily accessible resource for you. Home kits are a covered benefit of all insurance plans (8 kits per person, per month); they are also available at no cost via mail through the U.S. Postal Service. 

After arriving (days 3-5), plan to test using the Student Health Pop Testing service. Supplies for saliva sample collection will be available at move-in; schedule an appointment for drop-off through MySHR. If you live off-campus in non-university housing, you can pick up a collection kit from the Jefferson Lot (UPC) and Pappas Quad (HSC) testing sites.

We are grateful for the community-centered actions that each of our students, faculty, and staff show every day when they express care for each other’s health and well-being, whether it is observing respiratory and hand hygiene, or asking “how are you doing?” to check in with a peer, colleague, or new classmate. As we move toward a hopeful horizon, emerging from pandemic to endemic times, this fall offers a bright, brave, and promising new start for all of us in the Trojan Family.

We look forward to supporting your journey this year. Fight on!