News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Tennessee Tech has introduced an online COVID reporting tool for the Spring semester to streamline contact tracing.
Director of Health Services Leigh Ann Ray said students and staff can report if they’ve tested positive, are isolating and waiting for a test or been in contact with someone positive for COVID. Ray said the reporting tool will send info from students directly to Health Services and directly to Human Resources for staff.
“We can insure that their needs are being met. That we can make sure that they have the support that they need from the university,” Ray said. “Whether it’s an academic issue, a medical issue or an employee issue.”
Ray said having this information for the campus will help determine if there are areas or events that can be linked to COVID spread. Although, she said having contact information for those reporting is important for outreach.
“It does help us see roommates or people that were, say at the same get-together or in an area studying together,” Ray said. “It helps us identify those areas quickly, to get those people placed into isolation or quarantine if need be.”
Ray said the university has only been using the tool since the start of the semester. However, she said it was being used right away.
“Within the first hour we had several people already utilizing the form,” Ray said. “The feedback has been very positive from the students that I have spoken with, regarding the form.”
Tech’s new COVID reporting tool can be found on tntech.edu under the COVID-19 reporting tab. The form is also on tntech.edu/healthservices under report COVID-19.
