COVID Information
Weekly COVID Updates
For the week of Jan. 23
- No new updates
Previous updates can be found on the COVID Weekly Update page.
If You Feel Sick
Please stay home until you feel better, regardless of what illness it may be or if you test positive or negative for Covid.
If you must be around others while feeling ill or you are improving but still have a cough or sniffle, please wear a mask.
Students
First, please stay home until you feel better. Western students with mild COVID-like symptoms such as congestion/runny nose or sore throat can obtain a COVID-19 test at the Student Health Center COVID Testing Facility.
If you have more significant symptoms (cough, fever, loss of taste/smell), please call the Student Health Center during business hours at 360-650-3400 and ask to speak to a nurse.
You can also send a secure message via MyWesternHealth. If you test positive for COVID, the university will reach out with next steps including possibly moving you to isolation housing on campus if you are a campus resident. Find out more about isolation and quarantine on campus and how it works.
Employees
If you feel sick, we strongly encourage you to take off from work and stay home as it applies. Take sick leave and be away from the office so you may recover. Once you feel better, we will gladly welcome you back to work. This protocol applies to any illness, not just COVID.
Keep track of the latest developments
Regular updates are also posted here and on Western Today's news page.
If you aren't already signed up for Family Connection, click here to sign up for the monthly e-newsletter for WWU families.
Tested positive for COVID?
If you tested positive for COVID on a home test or through an off-campus testing facility not associated with Western, notify Western!
Students: log into your MyWesternHealth patient portal and send a message with your result by doing the following:
- Go to Messages on the left side pane
- Select "New Message"
- Select the option "I want to *Report a COVID Positive Result*"
- Fill in the form
Employees: send an email to: HR.COVID.Assistance@wwu.edu to notify HR of your positive result.
- Student employees: follow the process for students.
COVID Safety Practices at Western
Keep up the great work Western. Protect yourself and our whole Western Community by following the most up to date COVID Safety Guidance.
Current University safety guidance:
Vaccine requirements:
Western requires all students to submit proof of both Measles and COVID vaccinations or immunity (in the case of Measles) to attend classes and/or live in housing.
As was the case last year, all students must submit proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (either a single shot of Johnson & Johnson or two shots of Moderna, Pfizer, or any other WHO approved vaccine) or have an approved vaccine exemption on file. You can find out how to submit your vaccine record at the Student Health Center’s vaccine page. If you want more information about how to apply for an exemption, go to Western’s vaccine information page. COVID boosters are not required but are strongly encouraged.
If you were immunized in Washington State and need to find your records, they are on file at WashingtonMyIR.
Masking:
Masks are optional in nearly all settings, including inside Western buildings on the Bellingham Campus. Please follow any policies at other site locations not independently operated by Western (Poulsbo, Everett, etc.) which may still require masking or other COVID safety protocols.
The only exception to this is masks are still required in healthcare settings, such as the Student Health Center, per state and federal requirements. Please follow all posted official Western signage at these locations including the Disability Access Center.
This may change if public health conditions change in the future.
Every individual has the right to continue masking in any setting at Western if they prefer, even when masks are no longer required by the university.
For more information, view the Health and Safety page.
Campus COVID testing:
If students have mild COVID-like symptoms or know they have been exposed to the coronavirus, they can get tested at the university COVID testing center at the Student Health Center. To make your appointment online, go to your MyWesternHealth portal. For more information, go to https://studenthealth.wwu.edu/covid-19-testing.
Currently, thanks to low transmission levels locally, students who are in class via an approved COVID vaccine exemption are not required to get mandatory testing through the testing center each week; please note that as with masking, this is based on local transmission levels and could change as caseloads rise.
For employees, the university is no longer partnering with Northwest Labs for testing services. Information on how to request free home tests can be found on Western’s COVID Health and Safety website, or Western will provide home tests for you to pick up as needed.
Questions:
Send your questions about COVID policies and procedures to covidcoordinationresilience@wwu.edu.
Western's COVID Dashboard
This Western COVID Dashboard provides a weekly update on Mondays, other than for daily case counts.
The Campus buildings with confirmed positive cases will update daily.
You can view COVID data dashboards for local, county, state, and national sources at the following sites:
Positive Cases Per Week
This section shows the number of positive cases identified each week for students and employees. This includes results of tests that were not conducted on-campus.
Information Lines
Student Health Center
For students with medical questions such as scheduling a COVID test, experiencing symptoms, and more.
Washington State Department of Health
Resources
Campus
Teaching and Learning
This page is intended to provide information about COVID-19, precautions that are being taken and prevention measures you can take, as well as being one source for information on the effects of measures various governments are taking to stem the outbreak, and to answer the most common questions about how coronavirus might impact campus operations.
This page is not intended to be all-encompassing and should not be considered to be providing medical or legal advice. In all instances, you should consult with a relevant expert for guidance specific to your circumstances.