As of Monday, April 12, the Pitt COVID-19 dashboard reflects the following:

The scope of our dashboard and these updates is limited to people who have been on a Pitt campus within the last 14 days.

Regional campus cases are holding low and steady. While the 5-day moving average on the Pittsburgh campus has dropped to 5.8, our positivity rate on the Pittsburgh campus still remains higher than desired and Allegheny County continues to report elevated cases numbers.

Student Health Service on the Pittsburgh campus continues to test between 20 and 40 symptomatic people per day. As a reminder, if you are symptomatic, you need to call Student Health.

• Pitt-Bradford: 814-362-5272
• Pitt-Greensburg: 724-836-9947
• Pitt-Johnstown: 814-269-7110
• Pittsburgh campus: 412-383-1800

Please wear a face covering at all times, keep your distance, don’t gather in groups and maintain hand hygiene.

Any student who wants a test can get one, no questions asked, through a partnership with Quest. (Staff and faculty can still order at-home tests through Quest.)

Check PittSwab Scheduler for a timeslot at the Posvar testing site. As a second step, you will need your login information if you have already set up a Quest account. If you do not have an account, you may register in advance through this URL, or onsite at Posvar using a QR code.

Wednesday: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Thursday: 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Friday: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Just as we did in the fall, Pitt will cover the cost of one at-home Quest test for any student who wants one after departing campus at the end of term. We will provide more details in Friday’s CMRO update.

Effective today, Tuesday, April 13, all Pennsylvanians ages 16 and older are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. We encourage members of the Pitt community to get vaccinated as soon as possible. Getting vaccinated is an important step to ending this pandemic. Vaccines are safe and effective at preventing severe disease. As Pitt continues to receive limited allotments of vaccine from week to week, we will send out randomized invitations to our community to register for an appointment when clinics are scheduled at the Petersen Events Center. Many local and regional pharmacies and providers are also offering vaccine appointments. You can search by zip code or county on VaccinatePA, a volunteer-run resource created by University of Pittsburgh students. Allegheny County has a Vaccine Registration site, which allows you to register to be notified via email or text when you are eligible and appointments are available. Other resources to help you find a clinic near you are Allegheny Alerts, UPMC Vaccine Registration and AHN Vaccine Appointments.

The FDA this morning recommended halting distribution of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at federal sites out of an abundance of caution due to a rare blood clotting disorder observed in six out of more than 6 million vaccinated people.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health has paused administering doses of the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccine until at least April 20. Pending appointments in Pennsylvania will either be canceled immediately or rescheduled using Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.

The University will not distribute any further Johnson & Johnson vaccine until the CDC and FDA recommend the pause be lifted. In the interim, the University will distribute available first and second doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines—and continue to emphasize key reasons to get vaccinated as soon as you have the opportunity.

As virologists and infection prevention experts, we want to reassure patients that all COVID-19 vaccines are being constantly monitored for safety and effectiveness, and this latest announcement shows the process is working.

Stay well and stay safe. Thank you for your partnership and patience.
 

Sincerely,

COVID-19 Medical Response Office