I’ve always been someone who looks on the bright side. I see the glass half full. If life hands me lemons, I make lemonade. Being positive is a great thing . . . unless it’s regarding your COVID-19 test.
You probably know someone who has had the virus, and it may have even been you. If it wasn’t you, you may be asking yourself: “What happens if I test positive?”
Finding Out You’re Positive
If you went to Student Health or another provider because you were sick, you could learn you’re positive through a phone call, an email, or through a health portal. But if you were tested through Miami’s testing program, it’s a little different. Bear with me on this.
If you took a saliva test, you will only be contacted if there’s an issue. Most of the time, that “issue” is that your saliva was positive for COVID. So if you get an email to go back for a confirmatory test – DO IT! You can assume you’re positive, because it’s extremely likely that you are. That means cancel your plans. Don’t go anywhere except your confirmatory test during the time window you’re given. That’s where you’ll find out if you’re “officially” positive in under 30 minutes.
What YOU should do
So once you do find out you’re diagnosed positive for COVID, there are a few things you should do:
1. Don’t panic.
Miami case managers from the Office of the Dean of Students are here to help you, but you will likely know about your results before they do. Follow these other steps as you wait to hear from them
2. Self-isolate.
You should separate yourself from others as much as possible while you wait for a case manager to contact you. You don’t want the virus to spread to anyone else!
3. Submit a self-report.
You should fill out a self-report, which is the quickest way for case managers to find out you’re positive. That means they can start processing your case and sharing resources and information with you sooner. Only fill out a self-report if you have been diagnosed with COVID-19 (reminder: the saliva test doesn’t count).
4. Answer your phone.
You could receive a call from a case manager and/or the Butler County contact tracing team, so be sure to answer your phone. It also helps if your voicemail is set up and your mailbox isn’t full.
5. Pack (if you live on campus).
Those of you who live on campus will either be going home for your isolation period or moving to an on-campus space, so start thinking about what you want to pack. You’ll probably be there for 10 days, so pack accordingly.
One last suggestion
If you upload your positive test result to MedProctor and it’s verified, you’ll be exempt for 90 days from future testing and/or going into quarantine or isolation (after you finish your current isolation, of course).
What MIAMI does
1. Contacts you.
A case manager will either contact you by phone (if you live on campus) or by email (if you live off campus) to give you the information you need.
As to when you’ll be contacted, that depends on when a case manager receives your name. They receive the names in batches from various sources.
Remember the self-report I mentioned earlier? This is where it comes in handy. YOU can be one of their sources!
The case managers go through the names in the order they receive them and will contact you as soon as they can. Be patient with them as they work to contact everyone on the lists that day.
2. Assigns you an isolation space (if you live on campus).
If you live in a residence hall and can’t or don’t want to choose the option to go home for isolation, your case manager will assign you a room in the isolation building, give you access, and send you an email with the information you need.
That’s it!
That’s the process in a nutshell. Now you know what you should do and what to expect from Miami staff.
I know that finding out you’re positive for COVID isn’t something you want to hear, but if it happens, you can know that Miami has a plan in place and is here to support you!
