Daily Health Check

Although the Daily Health Check is no longer required because of high vaccination rates at UB and other measures in place, protecting the health of the UB community remains the university’s top priority. UB first implemented the Daily Health Check in the late summer of 2020, and it proved to be an essential element of the university’s robust set of science-based health and safety guidelines. Not only did it help individuals monitor their own health, but it offered campus officials critical information to help control the spread of COVID-19. The Daily Health Check successfully:

• Screened users for COVID-19 symptoms and exposure via an intuitive chat interface.
• Instructed possibly infected users to avoid further contact and instead seek testing, effectively flattening the curve by reducing subsequent exposures.
• Served need-to-know information carefully vetted by UB’s health experts.
• Provided campus health and safety officials real-time data about the spread of COVID-19 within the campus community, offering opportunities to identify potential outbreaks and take steps to intervene.

The Daily Health Check served 31,954 users, who submitted nearly 2.8 million attestations. Although UB is the largest school in SUNY, it has seen one of the lowest positivity rates in the system over the course of the pandemic (0.36% as of Nov. 1). That achievement is thanks to the campus community’s careful observance of UB’s health and safety measures, including the Daily Health Check.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, UB has dynamically updated its health and safety guidelines based on scientific data and the advice of health experts to include those practices that best protect the campus community and to discontinue those the experts deem are no longer necessary. COVID-19 vaccines have been widely adopted at UB in recent months (99% of students are fully vaccinated—the highest rate in SUNY—and nearly 90% of employees are vaccinated). While the pandemic continues to pose a threat, UB’s strong vaccination rate, together with the continuation of other health and safety measures, significantly reduces the risk of infection on campus. Although UB will no longer offer a formal health screening or collect related data, individuals should continue to:

• Closely monitor their personal health on a daily basis and stay home when they feel sick.
• Wear a face covering indoors as well as at crowded outdoor events.
• Wash hands thoroughly and regularly.
• Maintain physical distance from others where practical.
• Demonstrate proof of vaccination for eligible populations when required at campus events.
• Participate in weekly testing if required to do so.

As a reminder, if you are not yet vaccinated (or if you are vaccinated but have not gotten a booster) and are able to do so, please consider getting vaccinated as soon as possible. The Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines and boosters have all been authorized by the Food and Drug Administration, and free vaccination clinics are operating on the North, South and Downtown campuses—no appointment necessary. Unvaccinated individuals and those who do not submit proof of vaccination must continue to participate in weekly testing.