Employee Symptom Screening and COVID-19 Testing

UC San Diego Health Sciences and Health System employees can find information about testing, exposure and return-to-work guidelines here. In addition, Health Human Resources can be contacted for further guidance.

Campus employees can learn more on this page about employee symptom and exposure screening, COVID-19 testing, what to do if you have symptoms, what happens if you test positive, leave options available, exposure and isolation and mental health resources.

Daily Symptom Screening

On-site employees: required

All UC San Diego staff, faculty, student employees, and individuals who are working in a research lab who are reporting to campus or any other physical UC San Diego location for work must conduct a daily self-screening for COVID-19 and report any symptoms or confirmed exposures for days that they will be on site. All individuals regardless of vaccination status who develop symptoms consistent with COVID-19 should test. Student employees, including teaching assistants, should only use the student daily screener.

Remote employees: recommended

All remote employees are strongly encouraged to conduct a daily self-screening in order to help consistently monitor the community's health and help schedule testing quickly, if the need arises. After you complete the daily screening, your supervisor will be notified of your work status. If you have severe symptoms, you should call 911. All individuals regardless of vaccination status who develop symptoms consistent with COVID-19 should test.

Note: the screener tool can be accessed from a computer or mobile device. If you are unable to access the internet, you should call your supervisor, work lead or check-in person in advance of going to work on-site to complete the screening verbally.

What Do the Thumbs Mean?

All UC San Diego campus employees who are reporting to campus or any other physical UC San Diego location must conduct a daily self-screening for COVID-19 before arrival. You will receive a colored thumb after you complete the screening to signify if you are cleared to work, or if quarantine or testing is needed. 

• Allowed on campus
• Follow campus safety guidelines

• Allowed on campus
• Must mask outdoors
• Must eat alone
• Follow campus safety guidelines

• Not allowed on campus

COVID-19 Testing

UC San Diego offers an ongoing testing program for UC San Diego employees. Tests can be completed at no cost to employees at UC San Diego Health locations or via test kit vending macines, regardless of healthcare provider. You may also choose to visit your own healthcare provider for testing.

UC San Diego Health also offers COVID-19 tests by appointment for the public, including family members of employees and contractors.

Testing Requirements

Required twice weekly asymptomatic COVID-19 PCR testing (every 3-5 days):

• If you have received the initial vaccination doses and you received your booster less than 7 days ago
• If you have received the initial vaccination doses and you are eligible for a booster but you have not yet received a booster
• If you have not received the initial vaccination doses or you are unvaccinated

Routine asymptomatic testing is not required for students and campus employees who are up-to-date on their COVID-19 vaccination status.

Also test if:

• You develop symptoms consistent with COVID-19.
• You have used the restroom facilities in a facility with a positive wastewater signal, regardless of vaccination status.
• You are a fully remote employee who is not fully vaccinated and plan to come to campus for any reason (required to test within 72 hours of arrival and on the day of arrival).

Vaccination Status Definitions

What does it mean to be fully vaccinated?

• You have received a booster shot and it has been 7 days or more since your booster shot, or
• You have received the complete initial vaccination dose(s) and you are not yet eligible for a booster.

What is considered not fully vaccinated?

• You have received a booster shot and it has been less than 7 days since your booster shot;
• You have received a complete initial vaccine series and are eligible for a booster shot, but have not yet received one;
• You did not complete the initial vaccine series;
• You have not received any vaccines.

Symptoms

On-site employees with symptoms

• If you have symptoms of COVID-19, do not report to your worksite and complete the symptom and exposure screening. You will be contacted by the UC San Diego Health Testing Support Line unless you have already contacted them directly at 619-543-8260. A healthcare professional will assist you in scheduling a test.
• If you are already at a UC San Diego worksite and you develop symptoms, you should retake the symptom and exposure screening immediately and call the UC San Diego Health Testing Support Line at 619-543-8260 to speak with a healthcare professional who will assist you with determining if you should be tested sooner. You will be sent home by your supervisor.

Remote employees with symptoms

• If you have symptoms of COVID-19, report the symptoms in the symptom and exposure screening tool and you will be contacted by the UC San Diego Health Testing Support Line, unless you have already contacted them directly at 619-543-8260. A healthcare professional will assist you with determining if you should be tested sooner.

Symptomatic employees waiting for test results

If you were tested because of symptoms or possible direct exposure to a COVID-19 positive individual, you should behave as if you have been infected and can infect others while you are waiting for your results.

• Do not report to your work on-site.
• Avoid contact with other people, including those sharing your residence.
• Stay in your residence in an isolated room alone and wear a face covering if you enter common areas.
• Wash your hands before leaving your room or when coming into contact with others.

How will I receive my test results?

• If you are tested at a UC San Diego Health location and your result is positive, a healthcare professional will call you with your test results, usually within 24 hours.
• If your test results are negative, you will receive a notification in MyChart.
• If you do not have a MyChart account, you will receive a phone call to convey your test result, regardless if it is positive or negative.
• If you are tested at UC San Diego and you have not received your test results within 48 hours, please call the Testing Support Line at 619-543-8260.

Positive result

• Stay home (isolate) for 10 days.
• Isolation can end when:
  
  • You no longer have a fever and symptoms are gone or resolving, AND
  • You receive a negative test result after completing a rapid antigen test on or after Day 5 (schedule rapid antigen test here), AND
  • You continue to mask around others for the complete 10-day period.
• Monitor your symptoms. If you have an emergency warning sign (including trouble breathing), seek emergency medical care immediately.
• Stay in a separate room from other household members and use a separate bathroom, if possible.
• Do not share personal household items like cups, towels and utensils.
• Wear a mask around others.
• Stay home except to get medical care.
• Do not conduct a COVID-19 PCR test for the next 90 days.
• More instructions from the CDC on what to do if you are infected with COVID‑19

Required Reporting of Positive Results

• If you are an employee who tests positive at a non-UC San Diego Health location, you must report your results to the UC San Diego Health’s Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine at COEMexposure@health.ucsd.edu. 
• Per mandate of the County of San Diego, all positive test results must be reported to the County of San Diego, Public Health Department.

Supervisor Information

• Instructions are available for supervisors and managers to support team members who test positive for COVID-19. This includes guidance for employees on how to report their positive test, how to get cleared to return to on-site work, and how to submit a Potential Workplace Exposure Notification.

Returning to Work

• For employees working on-site and are tested at UC San Diego Health, you will be provided a Cleared for Work note by the Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 
• For those who test positive outside of UC San Diego Health, your healthcare provider should provide you with a Release from Work note initially, and later a Cleared for Work note to provide to your supervisor/HR contact.

Employee Leave Options

UC San Diego employees are eligible for both short and long-term paid leave options. These may be used for a variety of circumstances, including if you or a family member becomes infected with COVID-19, if you or a family member has been exposed or you are caring for children whose place of care is closed due to the pandemic.

Additional leave protections will be available for all UC San Diego non-academic employees including health system and health sciences who have taken a COVID-19 test pursuant to the required weekly testing program and have tested positive. Such employees will be eligible for paid leave in the work hour equivalent of up to 10 calendar days from the positive test.

Learn more about employee leave options »

Privacy of test results

• If you are an on-site employee who tests positive at a UC San Diego Health location, your results will be shared with UC San Diego’s Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine (COEM) for campus employees or Infection Prevention/Clinical Epidemiology for Health employees and the UC San Diego Public Health COVID Response Team.
• In accordance with applicable law, if you are an on-site employee, your supervisor will be informed of the reason why you are not permitted to work on-site to aid in contact tracing and safety efforts, but will be prevented from further sharing the information, to protect your privacy.
• All test result information will be stored in the Epic health record system. For information about data sharing and privacy related to test results, visit UC San Diego Health Notice of Privacy Practices.

Support

Employees are encouraged to seek counseling support and may reach out to the UC San Diego Faculty and Staff Assistance Program (FSAP). The confidential service offers one-on-one counseling sessions via Zoom or phone. Current and returning clients can contact their counselor directly by phone or email; new clients can request an appointment online. For more information, contact fsap@ucsd.edu.