COVID Reporting Policy
- Faculty, staff, and postdocs are required to notify Stanford, via Health Check, if they test positive for SARS-CoV-2 (the COVID-19 virus). This requirement is in place for those who were on campus within the previous two weeks or are expected to be on campus. When completing Health Check, please report your last date on campus, buildings visited, potential high-risk close contacts and date of contact, as well as your test and symptom information.
- Students, visitors, and vendors must complete the General COVID-19 Case Reporting Form if they test positive for COVID-19, within 10 days of being onsite.
COVID Onsite Access/Activity Policy
- Following a positive COVID test, isolate for at least 5 days. Isolation means no events, class, work, or lab. Individuals may qualify for earlier return to campus after COVID isolation by testing negative on a rapid COVID test. Those who test negative and are feeling better without fever for 24 hours may return to campus wearing a mask. Masking is required through day 10.
Please notify your close contacts if you test positive.
Per CDC guidance, please tell your close contacts that you have tested positive. For more information, please refer to this CDC resource on How To Talk To Your Close Contacts*.
Repeat testing: If you have COVID-like symptoms and have an initially negative rapid COVID test, we recommend repeat testing within 24 hours. Treat a positive rapid test as real and take steps to isolate yourself from others. Please note that a faint line on a rapid test is an indication that viral antigens were detected in the sample, so a faint positive is still a positive.
Follow-up testing: Rapid antigen tests may remain positive for up to 1-2 weeks. However, for most individuals, peak infectivity occurs within the first 5 days of symptoms. If your rapid test remains positive, you may still be infectious and should continue to mask around others. When at Stanford, masking is required through day 10.
Some individuals may experience COVID rebound, where symptoms return after 4-5 days of improvement. This is most commonly seen after Paxlovid treatment but can also be seen in those who do not take antiviral therapy. A rapid antigen test is a good indicator of potential ability to infect others; many individuals will test positive for an additional 3-5 days, prior to turning negative again. In this scenario, re-isolation would be recommended.
Please adhere to the updated recommendations for healthcare workers at Stanford HealthCare. You need to contact HRT at 650-497-9595 both to report your positive test as well as determine your return-to-work timeframe.
Please also closely monitor the frequently updated StanfordMed Pulse and CMO Message emails for the latest details about testing, quarantine, and isolation protocols, as they may change frequently.
If you have questions about the Health Check guidance, please submit a help ticket.
