Campus COVID-19 Updates

UNT health and safety officials regularly review federal and state guidance and make recommendations for how to best protect our campus community during a health crisis. The health and safety of our UNT community is always a top priority, and the safety committee has guided us with care since 2020.

Although infection rates have lessened on campus and locally, individuals should remain vigilant in protecting their personal health. This includes self-monitoring for symptoms, making informed decisions about high-risk situations and self-isolating after a positive test. University health officials will continue to monitor community spread of the virus and can return to its expanded COVID-19 offerings for the entire university community if a need arises.

Having shifted into a more controlled phase of the virus, the university is returning to pre-pandemic operations in several areas. Current and upcoming changes to note are below:

• As of April 29, 2022, the university will no longer offer contact tracing for positive test cases or publish testing data on the COVID dashboard. Individuals who test positive for the virus should follow current CDC guidelines for quarantine/isolation and follow the treatment advice of their primary care physician.
• Students, faculty and staff should handle COVID-19-related absences the same way they handle any other health-related absence.
• On May 16, 2022, the Student Health and Wellness Center (SHWC) will return to pre-COVID-19 operations. This means the SHWC will only serve students and will no longer offer testing, vaccines or boosters for faculty and staff. As a result, the vaccine registry also will close on May 13, 2022. Students can continue to receive testing, vaccines and boosters at the SHWC, but will need to make an appointment that could include an insurance co-pay just like any other healthcare appointment.

Curative Testing Ending on Campus

The time has finally come! Due to low testing numbers, Curative Inc. will no longer be offering COVID-19 testing on campus as of Nov. 18. The university offered the testing to students, faculty and staff for almost two years at no charge through Curative. Now, faculty and staff should contact their primary care provider for COVID-19 testing. Students can make an appointment for testing with the Student Health and Wellness Center — any insurance co-pay, office visit fee and testing costs apply.

Get Vaccinated

The best way to ensure your personal safety with regard to COVID-19 is to obtain a full course of vaccination, including booster shots. Vaccinations have been found to drastically reduce the chance of experiencing severe impacts from COVID-19 and minimize transmission of the disease. You can find vaccine options at local pharmacies and other locations from the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Approved Vaccinations from Other Countries

In addition to Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson and Johnson, UNT does recognize vaccinations received in other countries as long as the vaccine is on the World Health Organization (WHO) approved list. The approved vaccinations allow you to travel to and from campus without the need to quarantine. However, you must follow other CDC guidelines regarding international travel. International faculty and students who have access to an approved vaccine are encouraged to get fully vaccinated prior to traveling to the U.S.

Please see the WHO's full listing of approved vaccines globally. The list will be updated as additional vaccines are approved.

Guidance on Employee Health Information

The University of North Texas System and its member institutions are committed to the well-being and safety of our students, faculty, and staff, as well as to the protection and confidentiality of our employees’ personal health information.

Supervisors should NOT ask questions intended to:

• Solicit which employees have or have not received the vaccine
• Identify underlying health condition(s) of an employee
• Identify which type of vaccine an employee receives

Supervisors may ask questions regarding the general well-being of their employees and ensure that all employees are following safety protocols.

Supervisors are encouraged to maintain flexibility in scheduling to allow employees to take appropriate time off of work to receive the vaccination. Employees who attend COVID-19 testing or vaccination clinics may utilize their accrued sick leave for the appointment.

Employees who have specific questions regarding their medical condition(s) as it pertains to work are encouraged to contact their campus HR teams for assistance.