February 19, 2021

Dear RVU Family,

The number of new positive COVID-19 cases increased only 1.40% in Colorado and 0.51% in Utah, while positive cases in the US increased 1.81% over the previous week’s statistics.  Within the RVU Community, there were 2 new positive cases since last week (both were pre-clinical COM students – one at each location).

 Here are the updates for this week:

• New CRT Leadership: Congratulations to Dr. Kinder and Kristine Jenkins for being appointed Co-Chairs of the CRT. They will take over the leadership responsibilities of the CRT from Dr. Park starting next week. Dr. Park has served as the Chair for nearly a year since the CRT’s first meeting on March 5, 2020.  Dr. Park will continue to serve as a member of the CRT and remain in his role as the Utah Campus Medical Officer for the time being. We thank Dr. Park for his leadership and continued service in ensuring the safety and well-being of the RVU Community.  We wish him the best as he begins transitioning into his new position as Founding Dean for the proposed Montana College of Osteopathic Medicine.
• CO Campus Study Spaces: The 3rd-floor study rooms on the Colorado Campus are open for reserved use effective immediately. Reservations for this space can be made via the Study Space Reservation System. A maximum of two people are allowed per study space and masks are required to stay on if more than one person is in the room. Reservations can be made for 2 consecutive 4-hour blocks with cleaning being done between each reservation.
• Library Update: With the decrease in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in Utah and Colorado, our libraries will resume the circulation of some physical resources. Effective Monday, February 22, 2021, RVU faculty, staff, and students on both campuses, will have access to artificial human skulls, bone boxes, laptop stands, and phone chargers. These items are available for checkout for a two-hour period and can be used within the library or in one of the study rooms on campus.
• Vaccine Distribution Update:
  • Colorado: The Health Center continues to submit orders for the vaccine.  Although they did not receive an allotment this week, the Health Center has vaccine clinics tentatively scheduled Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday mornings depending on vaccine availability.  They will focus on their patients and employees 65 years of age and older.
  • Utah: Our Utah campus has received preliminary approval to become a vaccination site pending the arrival of necessary equipment.  We expect this equipment to arrive within the next two weeks. The planning process is continuing, with vaccine distribution anticipated to begin mid to late March.   Utah is experiencing delays in vaccine receipt. Therefore, the exact date will not be provided until the state confirms that vaccines will be available.

• Myth:  The COVID-19 vaccine can affect women's fertility.

This myth was created by false reports on social media claiming that the spike protein involved in the growth and attachment of the placenta during pregnancy was the same as the spike protein on the coronavirus.

Fact: The COVID-19 vaccine will not affect fertility.  The vaccine causes the body to create copies of the spike protein found on the coronavirus surface.  The body's immune system kicks in and fights the virus with that specific spike protein.  During the Pfizer vaccine testing, 23 women volunteers became pregnant, and the only one who suffered a pregnancy loss was in the placebo group.

Thank you for doing your part to keep the RVU Community safe. We appreciate your efforts and ongoing patience as we navigate these challenging times together.

Professionally yours,

The Covid-19 Response Team