Diagnosis/Symptoms Protocols

Symptoms

People with COVID-19 have a wide range of symptoms, ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms to be aware of include:

  • Fever (temperature greater than or equal to 100.0 degrees) or chills
  • Cough
  • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
  • Fatigue
  • Muscle or body aches
  • Headache
  • New loss of taste or smell
  • Sore throat
  • Congestion or runny nose
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Diarrhea

If you develop any of these symptoms follow the guidelines in What to Do If I’m Sick.

When to seek emergency medical attention: If someone is showing any of these signs,*seek emergency medical care immediately

  • Trouble breathing
  • Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
  • New confusion
  • Inability to wake or stay awake
  • Bluish lips or face

*This list is not exhaustive. Please call your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning to you. Call 911 or call ahead to your local emergency facility: Notify the operator that you are seeking care for someone who has or may have COVID-19.

Diagnosis Protocols

Protocols for a Student with COVID-19 Diagnosis/Symptoms

If a student has tested positive or been diagnosed with COVID-19 or exhibits any Coronavirus Symptoms (other than symptoms related to a pre-existing medical condition or a medical diagnosis unrelated to COVID-19), the following steps should be taken. These steps are necessary in order to protect the safety and wellbeing of all College community members and especially those residents staying on campus.

COVID-19 Guidance Flowchart

  • If on-campus when symptoms begin or when you suspect or learn of a diagnosis of COVID-19, go home immediately and avoid coming into close contact with anyone
  • Complete the COVID-19 Self-Reporting Form
  • Contact your health care provider for diagnosis, treatment, and/or testing, as necessary
  • Stay home (except to seek medical care)
  • Follow CDC Guidance – What to Do If I’m Sick
  • Follow the Self-Quarantine protocols
  • If you later receive a positive test result, resubmit the COVID-19 Self-Reporting Form
  • Do not return to campus until written approval is received. See Completion of Self-Quarantine
  • If contacted by contact tracers, please cooperate with contact tracers to provide information regarding others with whom you have had close contact
  • If your illness impacts your ability to perform schoolwork, contact your instructors or Support Services & Accommodations

If an employee has tested positive or been diagnosed with COVID-19 or exhibits any Coronavirus Symptoms (other than symptoms related to a pre-existing medical condition or a medical diagnosis unrelated to COVID-19), the following steps should be taken by the employee and their supervisor:

COVID-19 Guidance Flowchart

Employee Steps

If you have COVID-19 symptoms, but do NOT have a positive test or a diagnosis:

If you receive a positive test result or are diagnosed with COVID-19 (regardless of whether you have symptoms), you should:

  • If at work, go home immediately and avoid coming into close contact with anyone
  • Contact your supervisor as soon as possible to notify them
  • Complete the COVID-19 Self-Reporting Form to report your positive test result or diagnosis
  • Consult your health care provider
  • Stay home (except to seek medical care)
  • Follow the Self-Quarantine/Isolation protocols
  • Do not return to campus until written approval is received. See Completion of Self-Quarantine/Isolation.
  • Cooperate with contact tracers to provide information regarding others with whom you have had close contact

Supervisor Steps

If the employee has COVID-19 symptoms but does NOT have a positive test or a diagnosis:

  • If the employee is at work when you are notified, make sure the employee is separated from others and immediately sent home
  • If the employee is at home, advise them to stay at home and follow the employee protocols above
  • Advise the employee to complete the “COVID-19 Self-Reporting Form.” (Notification will be made to the Human Resource COVID-19 response coordinator by way of the completed form) and be cleared before they can return to campus as detailed in Completion of Self-Quarantine/Isolation
  • If the employee later notifies you that they have undergone a test for COVID-19 and received a positive result, advise them to resubmit the COVID-19 Self-Reporting Form to report this positive test result and your should notify the Human Resources COVID-19 response coordinator of this development
  • If you or any of your employees have questions, you may direct them to the Human Resources COVID-19 response coordinator at humanresources@manhattantech.edu 

If the employee has tested positive or been diagnosed with COVID-19, the supervisor should:

  • If the employee is at work when you are notified, make sure the employee is separated from others and immediately sent home
  • If the employee is at home, advise the employee to stay home and follow the employee protocols above for their situation; also, find out when the employee was last at work
  • Advise the employee to complete the “COVID-19 Self-Reporting Form
  • Notify the Human Resources COVID-19 response coordinator and provide information regarding when the employee was last on campus
  • Notify Facilities to clean/disinfect the employee’s work area 
  • Close off areas used by the infected employee, including common areas
  • Advise co-workers of potential exposure (but do not identify the employee by name) and that contact tracers will work with the individual who tested positive to identify close contacts and notify them if they need to self-quarantine. Further advise that they do not need to take any specific action unless notified, but they should continue to monitor their health for the presence of any Coronavirus Symptoms and follow the Prevention practices.
  • In unique situations when it is clear that certain co-workers have been potentially exposed as a result of close contact for a prolonged period of time with the affected employee (as described in Potential Exposure to Coronavirus), the supervisor may send those co-workers home and instruct them to complete the COVID-19 Self-Reporting Form and to follow the Self-Quarantine/Isolation protocols.
  • Inform them that they will need to be cleared before they can return to campus as detailed in Completion of Self-Quarantine/Isolation
  • If you or any of your employees have questions, you may direct them to the Human Resources COVID-19 response coordinator at humanresources@manhattantech.edu

Manhattan Area Technical College's Response plan uses public health guidance and best practices aimed at fostering a culture of care for our community while taking steps to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 as the college gradually returns faculty, staff, and students to the campus environment.

Self Reporting

Students and employees must complete the COVID-19 Self Reporting Form if they have symptoms, tested positive or been diagnosed with COVID-19. The submission of the form is received by the appropriate COVID-19 response coordinator.

If you have been targeted or been negatively impacted on campus, please contact Sarah Phillips, MATC’s Title IX Coordinator.

Clean

MATC works to identify all spaces that may have been impacted. Those areas are secured and entry is prohibited until the disinfection process is complete.  The impacted areas are sanitized in accordance with the most current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance (Cleaning and Disinfecting Your Facility (COVID-19).

Protect

If a person has tested positive or been diagnosed with COVID-19 or exhibits COVID-19 symptoms, then we ask the individual to follow the self-quarantine/self-isolation guidelines per the CDC.

Prevent

We prevent the spread of the disease by continuing best practices, such as frequent hand washing and centralized hand sanitizer stations distributed across campus, implementation of enhanced cleaning to frequently clean and sanitize high touchpoints like door handles.