University Health Services

• Symptoms range from none (“asymptomatic”) to severe illness and death; this may depend on strain, SARS-specific immunity, and/or underlying health conditions, but details are poorly understood.
• Usual symptoms are mild and nonspecific and may include nasal congestion, scratchy throat, fatigue, fever, headache, cough, and/or mild stomach upset.
• More severe symptoms may include shortness of breath, chest pain, or dizziness.
• Symptoms may sometimes recur after initial recovery, which correlates with infectiousness (“COVID rebound”), whether it was treated or not.
• For more information, see: CDC COVID-19 Symptoms(link is external).

• People who have symptoms should stay home, wear a mask, and get tested.
• People who are at high risk for severe COVID (e.g. immunocompromised, chronic heart/lung disease) should contact their healthcare provider ASAP for consideration of antiviral treatment(link is external).
• Mild symptoms can be managed like any other respiratory illness; over-the-counter medications may help you feel a little better, but sleep and hydration are most important for recovery.
• See your primary care clinician or seek care in a local urgent care if you experience more severe or prolonged symptoms, such as fever (>100.4F) lasting more than 72 hours, cough keeping you awake at night, or mild shortness of breath.
• People with severe symptoms such as struggling to breathe should call 911.
• Students can call the UHS Nurse Advice Line at (510) 643-7197 for guidance. 

There are no masking requirements on campus or in the community at this time, however well-fitting high-quality masks may still be a good idea in certain situations(link is external), whether to protect yourself or others.  These include:

• When you are ill with COVID-19 or any respiratory virus
• When you have recently been exposed to COVID-19 and are visiting someone who is immunocompromised, elderly, or otherwise at high risk for severe disease(link is external)
• If you are yourself at high risk for severe disease and you are in a crowded indoor public setting
• For protection against wildfire smoke(link is external) or other contaminants

For more information regarding respiratory viruses and masks, see the CDC links:

• Masks and Respiratory Virus Protection(link is external)
• Preventing Spread of Respiratory Viruses When You’re Sick  Respiratory Illnesses(link is external)

The requirement for all campus employees and students to report if they test positive for COVID has ended.  The campus no longer needs to maintain a dashboard of COVID cases across campus.  Healthcare workers still have their usual protections under the Aerosol Transmissible Disease (ATD) standard.