COVID-19 Updates and Guidance > FAQs > Health, wellness and prevention

Health, wellness and prevention

1. Vaccines

Employees of higher education institutions, including faculty, staff and student employees, who are Illinois residents, are currently eligible to seek appointments at more than 900 locations in the state’s provider network and at distribution sites within the city of Chicago.

More than 80 counties in Illinois have opened vaccination appointments to all individuals age 16 and older. Residency criteria vary by county. Visit the Illinois Department of Public Health website for the list of those counties.

On Monday, April 12, the remaining Illinois counties, not including Chicago, will open eligibility to ages 16 and over.

On Monday, April 19, Chicago will expand eligibility to residents ages 16 and over.

For more information, visit DePaul's COVID-19 Vaccine Resource webpage.

The COVID-19 vaccine will be part of the university's multi-pronged approach to campus safety. The university is now weighing a multitude of considerations regarding COVID-19 vaccinations. DePaul strongly recommends all faculty, staff and students get vaccinated when their turn comes as it is the safest course for all. It is expected that public health agencies, such as the Illinois Department of Public Health and Chicago Department of Public Health, will continue to issue guidance regarding COVID-19 vaccinations. DePaul will follow this guidance and all state and local mandates regarding vaccinations.

​For the most up-to-date DePaul information, please visit DePaul's COVID-19 vaccine web page​. 

The vaccine supply is still limited, and the city of Chicago is focused on providing vaccines based on equity ​and public health priorities, which precludes DePaul from hosting a vaccine clinic at this time. While DePaul continues its work on ensuring all in campus community has access to the vaccine, everyone in the university community is encouraged to begin seeking a vaccine appointment as soon as they are eligible.

​There is no cost for the vaccine. However, vaccination providers can charge an administration fee for giving the shot that is reimbursed by the patient’s public or private insurance company, or for uninsured patients, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Health Resources and Services Administration. No one can be denied a vaccine if they are unable to pay the administration fee.

This administrative fee can not be passed on to the patient in the form of a co-pay or deductible. For more information, visit the Illinois Department of Public Health. 

2. COVID-19 Testing

For the most up-to-date information on DePaul's COVID-19 testing options, please visit DePaul's COVID-19 Testing web page .

For Chicago residents, please visit the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) website for testing location information. Testing locations and hours of operation may change, particularly for mobile testing sites, so please check the CDPH website prior to visiting a location for the most up-to-date information.  

The DePaul community can also request DePaul's mail-in testing kit. It is free for faculty, staff and students who reside in the U.S.  This option is for those with symptoms or known exposure to an individual who has tested positive and are having difficulty finding an accessible testing site. This is a FDA-approved test that detects the virus's genetic material using a technique called polymerase chain reaction (PCR). For more information on mail-in testing, please visit DePaul's COVID-19 Testing web page .

​DePaul students, faculty and staff living in the U.S. are eligible to request a mail-in kit. ​For more information, visit ​Newsline​. 

Beginning March 9, DePaul will expand its on-campus testing for select people. Testing will only be available to faculty, staff and students from the School of Music and The Theatre School, and residence hall students because they need to visit campus to participate in limited performance-based activities such as practices and rehearsals. For more information, visit Newsline​ and the SHIELD website​.  

3. Contact Tracing

If you have any questions or concerns please email  DePaulCommunityHealth@depaul.edu​. 

If you learn of a confirmed case of COVID-19 or a case of exposure to an individual with COVID-19:
  • ​Report about yourself here​
  • Report about someone else here​​​
Faculty, staff and students can also report a case by calling (773) 325-3300 between 8 am to 8 pm, seven days a week.

Please note that the privacy and anonymity of employees who have tested positive for COVID-19 and those who may be part of a contact tracing investigation will be maintained. 

To learn more about DePaul's reporting process, please visit Newsline​. 

​Contact tracing is a process that local health departments use to control and prevent the spread of diseases, like COVID-19. By identifying and isolating cases, and quarantining close contacts, the spread of COV​ID-19 may be averted in the absence of effective vaccines.

​For more information about contact tracing and DePaul's efforts, please visit Newsline​. ​

​A case is someone who tested positive for COVID-19 or has been diagnosed with COVID-19 by a medical professional. A person who developed symptoms after being exposed to a case may also be considered a case. ​

​For more information about contact tracing and DePaul's efforts, please visit Newsline​. ​​

​A close contact is someone who has been in close physical contact with a case, or within six feet for 15 minutes, of an identified case while they were infectious. After being identified as a close contact, a person may be recommended to stay-at-home for 14 days after their last known exposure and monitor any symptoms that arise.  

​For more information about contact tracing and DePaul's efforts, please visit Newsline​. ​​​

To help monitor the health and safety on campus, and to assist those in our community, a DePaul-specific contact tracing team has been put in place. This team has been trained by Johns Hopkins University on contact tracing, and on DePaul specific protocols and procedures.  

​For more information about contact tracing and DePaul's efforts, please visit Newsline​. ​​

If you are an identified case, a contact tracer will interview you to determine the period in which you may have been infectious. You will be asked to identify people who were in physical close contact with you, within six feet for a period of 15 minutes or more, during the time you were potentially infectious. The contact tracer will also assess your basic needs, and current access to medical care and other services during isolation.

If you have been identified by a case as a close contact, a contact tracer will let you know that you may have been exposed to a person who tested positive for COVID-19. The contact tracer will interview you to assess your risk of getting sick and let you know if you should:
  • Quarantine at home
  • Monitor any symptoms that arise
The contact tracer will also assess your current access to medical care, testing, other services and basic needs during quarantine.

For more information about contact tracing and DePaul's efforts, please visit Newsline. 

​If you have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and have symptoms, you can end home self-isolation when the following three things are met:
  • It’s been at least 24 hours with no fever without using fever-reducing medication
  • Your symptoms improved 
  • It’s been at least 10 days since the symptoms first appeared
If you test positive for COVID-19 but do not have any symptoms, you can end home isolation when the following two things are met​:
  • ​At least 10 days have passed since the date of your first positive COVID-19 test
  • You have had no subsequent illness
​For more information about contact tracing and DePaul's efforts, please visit Newsline​. ​

​You may be contacted several times during the course of your isolation or quarantine to assess your basic needs, and current access to medical care and other services on an ongoing basis.​
​
For more information about contact tracing and DePaul's efforts, please visit Newsline​. ​

4. University Safety Measures

​Yes. DePaul requires students, faculty, staff and visitors to use #CampusClear each time they prepare to come to campus. People may be asked to display their #CampusClear app results to a university official prior to entering a DePaul-owned or operated facility.  For more information, visit Newsline.

​Yes. Even if you are fully vaccinated, you are still required to wear a mask at all time while on campus grounds, complete the #CampusClear​ questionnaire every time you prepare to come to campus a​nd comply with Chicago's Travel Order guidelines.

In keeping with the state's public health guidelines, the DePaul community is required to wear a face mask over their nose and mouth at all times on DePaul grounds. This includes all indoor and outdoor spaces such as restrooms, benches and common areas, and at all university functions or activities. There is one exception: You may remove your mask if you are sitting alone in an office with the door closed.

Face shields are not considered a replacement for a face mask.

For more information on how to properly wear a face mask, please review the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's updated guidelines. 

​For those who have forgotten or lost their face mask, disposable paper masks will be available at a limited number of first-floor desk areas near building entrances.

Gloves are not required for most on campus. It is far more important to wash hands frequently and thoroughly, or use hand sanitizer when washing is not possible, and avoid touching one's face.

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