Prevention & Care
Vaccination is the number one way to protect yourself and others against COVID-19. Those who are not vaccinated, and others who may have concerns, are encouraged to:
- Follow current masking guidelines.
- Practice physical distancing and minimize close contact with others, especially indoors.
- Wash your hands often or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol if washing is not an option.
- Stay home and avoid contact with others when you are sick; call ahead before seeking medical care at Cornell Health or elsewhere.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
What should I do if I’m feeling ill?
If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, including fever, cough or shortness of breath, or if you have had close contact with someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 (or who is currently being tested), please do the following:
- Ithaca students who have flu-like symptoms should call Cornell Health at 607-255-5155 (24/7) for consultation.
- Cornell Tech students may call Weill Cornell Medicine at 646-962-7300 and identify yourself as a Cornell Tech student. The call center staff will schedule a virtual appointment for you with a doctor, which will be conducted on the Weill Cornell Medicine portal app via video phone conference.
- Faculty and staff should contact their primary care provider.
Getting Vaccinated
The CDC offers a tool to search for vaccination sites near you, and the Tompkins County Health Department has several local vaccination sites and frequently offers pop-up clinics. Be sure to schedule your first dose with the second appointment in mind; there are 21 days between doses of the Pfizer vaccine, 28 days between doses of the Moderna vaccine, and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is one dose. Bring your photo identification and insurance card, if you have one, to your scheduled appointment.
Quarantine & Isolation
While both quarantine and isolation refer to methods of preventing the spread of illness, they do not mean the same thing. Quarantine refers to separating a person without symptoms of a contagious disease like COVID-19 from others while they self-monitor for the development of symptoms. Isolation means separating someone with a contagious disease like COVID-19 away from others.
The Tompkins County Health Department (TCHD) has guidance on both quarantine and isolation. Cornell Health has provided detailed information about the process of quarantining and isolating for COVID-19 for students in the Ithaca area, as well as answers to the questions most often asked by students in quarantine/isolation.