USC just reported its first confirmed case of COVID-19, according to an email sent by USC Sunday afternoon.
“We have received notification that a USC undergraduate student—who recently returned from international travel and arrived directly in Orange County—has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus," Dr. Sarah Van Orman, the Chief Health Officer for USC Student Health, said in the email.
Van Orman specified that the patient, who is not named in the email, has not been on or near campuses, and that the person is in good condition and currently in self-isolation at home.
The university is also “proactively contacting any individuals who may have had an exposure,” the email said.
In a Zoom press meeting on March 16, Van Orman declined to share more information about the patient and the testing timeline. She said for this case, the individual went directly to Orange County, developed symptoms and received a diagnosis, and then the result was shared with USC.
“It’s not surprising to me at all. We have been expecting this from international travelers,” she said.
Van Orman said she considers self-isolation for the case as mandatory “because it’s the right thing to do and very important,” but “there may not be a capacity to monitor that,” depending jurisdiction they are in.
According to a March 4 email from Van Orman, “per recent guidance from the CDC, the university is requiring all international travelers from CDC Level 3 countries to self-isolate for 14 days before returning to any campus locations.”
The March 4 email also said “in the event of a student with a confirmed COVID-19 case, USC would work with L.A. County Dept of Public Health on treatment, community notifications, and re-housing accommodations required for prevention of community spread. These processes would apply to any USC student, whether residing in USC Housing or a private off-campus residence.”
Provost Charles Zukoski said in an email to the USC community on March 10 that “students, faculty, and staff who have been notified by public health authorities or others that they may have had exposure to COVID-19 must follow appropriate self-isolation instructions and notify the university.”
Van Orman said in the Zoom press meeting that the university has been encouraging international travelers to fly directly to their family home. For people who have difficulty doing so, the university provides hotel rooms for them.
COVID-19 testing will become “more widely available” and “very common” over the next few weeks, according to Van Orman’s Sunday email and the Medical FAQs on COVID-19 Cases and Exposures page on USC’s coronavirus information website.
In the Zoom press meeting, Van Orman announced that USC’s testing availability for COVID-19 will now be given to “people who have symptoms," regardless of their travel history or exposure risk. She said this change happened in the past 24 hours due to testing capacity increase. The testing kit is not sensitive to pick up results from asymptomatic people, Van Orman adds.
People who are recommended to be tested for COVID-19 are expected to practice strict self-isolation-including staying home ideally in a separate room and practicing self-isolation- until their results are available. Van Orman said the university will provide hotel for students who are being tested.
USC’s testing capacity for COVID-19 was limited and reserved for “symptomatic persons returning from high risk travel locations (CDC Level 3) and severely ill hospitalized patients who have had recent travel to CDC Level 3 and 2 countries,” according to an update on USC’s coronavirus information website on March 11.
Van Orman told Annenberg Media on March 10 that “additional testing capacity is being developed throughout Keck Medicine, but it is still limited. This will change and evolve over the next few days and weeks as testing becomes more available and community transmission common.”
USC has set up a COVID-19 Hotline 213-740-6291 for people who may have concerns.
USC is asking people who have respiratory symptoms, including fever, cough, congestion and sore throat, “do not go directly to an urgent care or emergency department” unless they are experiencing severe, life threatening symptoms, according to its website. They should stay home and call or TeleHealth their health care provider.
USC Student Health notified all students via email on Saturday that they are remaining operational and also launching TeleHealth as a measure of providing care during the remote instruction period. “No in-person respiratory visits will be permitted without first completing a phone/TeleHealth consultation,” the email said.
The Saturday email also announced that students do not need a referral to access long-term counseling care through April 14. Counseling and Mental Health Services are available both in-person and online.
“The health and safety of our community is our top priority," David Wright, Senior Vice President for Administration, said in a statement to Annenberg Media. "The Emergency Operations Center and business continuity planning teams have been in place since January implementing contingency plans for developments related to COVID-19, including members of the Trojan family testing positive for COVID-19. We will continue to keep the community posted as developments occur.”
USC has moved classes online through April 14 and announced details about campus, housing, dining, employment payment, events and travel during the remote instruction period.
In guidance released March 15, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that “for the next 8 weeks, organizers (whether groups or individuals) cancel or postpone in-person events that consist of 50 people or more throughout the United States.” This recommendation does not apply to the daily operation of organizations such as schools, institutes of higher learning, or businesses, according to CDC.
Update 12:20 p.m. March 16: This story has been updated with information from Zoom press meeting with Dr. Sarah Van Orman.