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REMEMBER: If you feel sick or have cold- or flu-like symptoms, GO HOME or STAY HOME. Take a COVID-19 test. 

Colleagues, 

As of October 31, 2022, the Governor of Washington rescinded the Washington State higher education COVID emergency proclamations.  The Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) still requires us to notify employees who have been exposed in the workplace. This email will provide details on our notification procedures and other steps we will continue to take as a campus in regard to COVID-19. 

Effective December 5^th, 2022, the college will transition from individual notifications to campus-wide notifications for COVID exposures.  Notification details: 

• The campus will be notified once per day in a single campus-wide email, Monday through Friday.  If the campus does not receive any positive test notifications on a particular day, then an email will not be sent out.
• Notifications will go out when a student, employee or visitor notifies the college they tested positive for COVID-19 and were on campus within two days prior or five days after testing positive 
• Notifications will include information such as date tested positive, locations visited, and date last on campus 
• When five or more people test positive, within a 72-hour time period and it occurs in one area, event, department, etc., the college will individually notify everyone who was potentially exposed 
• As of January 15^th, 2023, the college will transition from emailing the information to posting it on a campus website that anyone can view 

This notification process change provides everyone on campus with information on where and when they may have been exposed to someone who tested positive and reduces the administrative impact.   

Additional COVID-19 precautions and practices that will continue at Bellevue College: 

• Masks continue to be optional, unless otherwise required by the college 
• The college will provide masks and COVID-19 supply caddies as requested 
• Employees and students are strongly encouraged to stay home when feeling sick and to take a COVID test if they experience any COVID symptoms 
• Employees and students who test positive still need to fill out a COVID report (the college no longer requires COVID reporting for symptoms or for potential exposure to COVID) 
• Faculty are encouraged to include in their syllabi the COVID reporting information and reminders to stay home when sick 
• Students who need to stay home sick should contact their instructors; employees who need to stay home sick should notify their supervisors 

One final note: data is indicating this will be a rough flu season.  Get a flu shot!  Stay home if you feel sick! 

Dennis Curran

Vice President of Administrative Services

425.564.2446

Nov. 29, 2022

This update contains information and resources so you can stay safe.

Remember – we’re all in this together!

OVERVIEW

While seasonal influenza (flu) viruses are detected year-round in the United States, flu viruses typically circulate during the fall and winter during what’s known as the flu season. The exact timing and duration of flu seasons varies, but flu activity often begins to increase in October. Most of the time flu activity peaks between December and February, although significant activity can last as late as May. Since the start of the COVID pandemic, the timing and duration of flu activity has been less predictable.

Though it’s common to use the term “flu” to refer to a cold or other respiratory illness, the flu is much worse. It’s a highly contagious viral infection. The flu is unpredictable, and it can be severe, especially for the elderly, children, pregnant individuals, and those with certain health conditions. Every year, hundreds of thousands of people in the United States are hospitalized with the flu, and tens of thousands of people die.

The flu spreads easily from person to person through coughs and sneezes. Adults can infect others one day before they show symptoms and up to five days after they get sick. Children can spread the virus for ten or more days.

KING COUNTY COVID DASHBOARD 

View the most recent data for King County.  Data are updated Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and reflect laboratory results reported to the Washington State Department of Health as of midnight the day before.  

NEED TO KNOW

Flu Symptoms

·        Fever

·        Cough

·        Sore throat

·        Runny or stuffy nose.

·        Muscle or body aches, chills

·        Headaches

·        Fatigue

·        Vomiting and diarrhea (more common in children than adults)

Vaccinations

Everyone six months of age and older should get an annual flu vaccine to prevent sickness, healthcare visits, hospitalizations, and deaths from influenza. The flu vaccine is your best protection. Protection lasts throughout the flu season, which usually peaks in January or February and continues into the spring. Some children and adults may be eligible to receive nasal spray flu vaccine.

The Washington State Department of Health recommends a yearly flu vaccine for everyone aged six-months and older, including pregnant and nursing people. If you are 65 or older, talk to your provider about flu vaccine and other important vaccines for your age group.

It takes two weeks for the vaccine to protect you from flu. The flu vaccine does not protect against coronavirus, colds, or other viruses that cause respiratory illness.

The flu vaccine keeps many people from getting the flu. Some people who get the flu vaccine may still get sick. If you do get the flu, the vaccine will help reduce the severity of your illness. It will also lower your chance of needing to go to the hospital.

Other Measures

In addition to getting vaccinated, wash hands often and cover your cough.

If You Get Sick

• Stay away from others as much as possible to keep from infecting them.
• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
• Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that may be contaminated with germs like flu.
• Take antivirals drugs – if prescribed by a health care provider.

Review more information for people who are sick.

Monitoring at BC

The Flu Team and President’s Cabinet will continue to track local, state, and national health guidance as it determines the path forward for the college.

RESOURCES

Visit your local doctor’s office, pharmacy, or clinic event. Go to www.vaccinefinder.org or call the Help Me Grow Washington hotline at 1-800-322-2588 (language assistance available) to find a flu vaccine location near you.

• In Washington, all children under age 19 get flu vaccines and other recommended vaccines at no cost. The provider may charge an administration fee to give the vaccine. You can ask them to waive this fee if you cannot afford it.
• Most insurance plans, including Medicare part B, cover the cost of flu vaccine for adults.
• Consult your local health department for information about other no-cost flu vaccine options that may be available in your community.

Note: Flu and COVID-19 vaccines can both be received in the same day, or even the same visit for convenience.

FLU NEWS 

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Treatment: What you Need to Know
• National Foundation for Infectious Diseases – Myths and Facts About Influenza (Flu) 
• UCSF Health – Can You Tell If It’s the Flu or COVID-19? Doctors Say It’s Not So Clear

OFFICIAL STATE INFORMATION SOURCES 

Information and follow-up guidance is continually evolving. Here are some additional websites to help you stay informed: 

·       Washington State Department of Health

·        Public Health Seattle and King County

Stay well,

The Flu Team