Month: March 2022

Mask Update Starting March 11

| Emily Keeler
Starting at 6 p.m. Friday, March 11, masks will be optional in most indoor spaces on The Ohio State University campuses, including residence halls, dining facilities, classrooms, offices and the Ohio Union.
While the university continues to require masks in clinical health care settings (including at the Wexner Medical Center), COVID-19 testing locations, child care centers and on public transportation, Ohio State will be lifting indoor mask requirements in its academic and general-purpose buildings.
For most spaces, the updated masking policy will take effect at 6 p.m. on March 11, with the start of the university’s spring break. Public events, such as those that take place at the Schottenstein Center and the Covelli Center, are mask optional, effective immediately.
Throughout the pandemic, the university has followed guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Ohio Department of Health as well as federal, state and local policy. Ohio State’s updated masking policy reflects improving COVID-19 case counts after the Omicron surge, the high vaccination rate of the university community and the lifting of mask requirements in many jurisdictions, including the city of Columbus this week.
In settings where masks are optional, students, faculty, staff and visitors can decide on an individual basis whether or not they will continue to wear a mask – unless they are Wexner Medical Center employees who received an exemption from the COVID-19 vaccination requirement. Those employees must wear a mask inside any medical center facility. The university continues to distribute masks at various locations on campus.
More than 93% of university community members are vaccinated, and 25% have reported that they have received a booster shot to enhance their protection against COVID-19. The positivity rate among those in Ohio State’s COVID-19 testing program has steadily improved throughout the semester. As of March 6, the seven-day average positivity rate was 0.6%, down from 8.5% on Jan. 19.
Ohio State continues to urge all members of the community to take necessary precautions against COVID-19, including receiving all vaccination and booster shots for which they are eligible. Through the first week of April, students, faculty and staff who report their booster shots to the university are eligible for prizes in the Buckeye Booster Drawing.
The university will continue to adjust COVID-19 measures as appropriate based on science as well as guidance from national, state and local agencies.
For now, the university will maintain its COVID-19 surveillance testing program, which includes weekly testing of students in university housing, in social fraternities and sororities, and with approved exemptions to the university’s vaccination requirement. Employees with approved exemptions are also required to test weekly.
Individuals should stay home if they are feeling sick and follow CDC guidelines if they test positive for COVID-19 or are exposed to someone with the virus. These guidelines include wearing a mask for at least 10 days.
Specifics of the university’s mask policy are posted on the Personal Safety Practices page of the Safe and Healthy Buckeyes website. Under the updated policy, masks must continue to be worn indoors in the following settings:
  • In clinical settings where patient interactions occur – including at the Wexner Medical Center, the Wilce Student Health Center and other health care clinics. This includes corridors, lobbies and nursing stations of the hospital and ambulatory clinics.
  • At COVID-19 testing centers, including Jesse Owens North.
  • In child care centers, including the Nisonger Center at the Wexner Medical Center.
  • And on transportation, including CABS and shuttle buses.

 

Register today for the 2022 Pharmathon 5K

| Emily Keeler

Sign up today for the 2022 Pharmathon, a 3.1 or 1.5-mile run/walk to promote health, wellness, and provide education on prescription drug misuse and prevention. This event was established in 2015 through a collaborative effort amongst the Pharmacy Alumni Society Governing Board and the College of Pharmacy Students. Learn more and register at go.osu.edu/pharmathon.

March 26, 2022
RPAC, The Ohio State University Campus
10 am race start

A Message from the Chief Wellness Officer

| Emily Keeler

Hello Buckeye Wellness Innovators,

Healthy, balanced eating is important year-round and March is National Nutrition Month. Remember to build your healthy eating plan with your lifestyle and nutritional needs in mind. Spring and summer are great times to change up your menus and try new things.

If you are trying to lose weight, set reasonable, short-term goals and avoid fad diets. Make sure you are getting your five daily servings of fruits and vegetables. I get my five servings in almost every day by making a smoothie for breakfast in my NutriBullet—in it goes spinach, an avocado, blueberries, raspberries/strawberries, and a banana with protein powder, 1 tsp of flaxseed oil, and a tsp of turmeric with a little pomegranate juice and water. Try it and see how you feel!

Warmer weather also means garden season is approaching! Some gardeners find that tending to their sprouts is a great stress reliever! If you lack time and/or a green thumb, farmers’ markets also are a great choice. With warmer weather, you can also try grilling fruit for an even sweeter taste. Watermelon and peaches are good starting options. And, don’t forget, fish or poultry are healthy and tasty grilling choices, too. Visit Choose My Plate and learn about healthy options to choose for your meal.

As you continue to make healthy choices, I encourage you to try a new recipe or make an old one healthy!

Last of all, remember to keep taking and giving a dose of Vitamin G for gratitude every day to improve your own and others’ moods. Evidence from studies support that, if practiced daily, it works to improve your cardiovascular health and mental well-being.

Go Buckeyes!