2/29 COVID-19 Campus Update


To:       BUMC Faculty, Staff and Students
From: Karen Antman, MD, BUMC Provost and BUSM Dean
Date:   Feb. 29, 2020
Re:       COVID-19

As you are aware from both mainstream media and professional sources, the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, that originated in Wuhan, China, has resulted in cases in more than 60 countries around the world, including the United States. On Jan. 31, the U.S. Secretary of Health & Human Services declared a public health emergency for the virus and on Feb. 25 the Centers for Disease Control said that we can expect new community based cases in the U.S. (i.e. with no clear link to cases from overseas).

While the risk of COVID-19 is currently low in Massachusetts, our State and local public health offices and the University are monitoring the evolving situation. Over the past two weeks, we have reviewed our infectious diseases emergency management plans for continuity of operations for our classes, research programs and administrative functions. We are creating a COVID-19 website specific to the Medical Campus to provide information on the virus, links to authoritative sources and campus operations plans, which will be updated as additional information becomes available. We will advise you when this website is live.

Nahid Bhadelia, MD, MA, Associate Professor, Medicine/Infectious Diseases, and Ronald Corley, PhD, Professor of Microbiology and Director, National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, have produced a COVID-19 primer for the BU Community.

If necessary, we plan to move to videotaped or Zoom lectures and discussion classes. Please see the checklist below for steps that your unit should be taking in preparation for the possibility of working and learning from home.  We will be updating the checklist on the website.

      1. Review/update continuity of operations (coop) plans.
      2. Update unit’s contact lists to include pertinent phone numbers, email addresses
      3. Teaching Faculty –
        • Get lists of your class–on blackboard?
        • Get access to last year’s lectures
      1. Department/Unit approvers — get Adobe software that allows for E-signature.

Please note President Brown’s letter to the community on coronavirus, the University’s message regarding travel to China, and the CDC’s guidelines to decrease the risk of spreading infections. Thank you.

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