Public Health Response

Helping Protect Yourself, Our Campus, and Our Greater Community

Boise State is committed to doing all we can as a university to prevent and/or minimize the spread of communicable diseases and their consequences as well as addressing campus public health concerns.

Together we can support a safe working, learning, and living environment for ourselves, each other, and our community.

Norovirus

Gastrointestinal illness caused by norovirus has been making national and international news in the last few weeks.

Although Idaho is not currently reporting more cases than expected (increases in illness due to norovirus during the winter months is a normal occurrence), general guidance and information that may be helpful to campus community members is available:

Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (IDHW)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

New COVID-19 Guidance

Please Note:

On March 1st, 2024, CDC guidelines changed regarding COVID-19 isolation recommendations. This is because we are in a very different place with COVID-19 than we once were.

According to the CDC: “Weekly hospital admissions for COVID-19 have decreased by more than 75% and deaths by more than 90% compared to January 2022. Importantly, these decreases have continued through a full respiratory virus season, despite levels of viral activity similar to prior years. Almost 98% of people in the United States have antibodies against COVID-19 because of prior vaccination, infection or both. We also have effective and widely available vaccines and treatment that work, but more than 95% of people hospitalized with COVID-19 this last season were not up to date on COVID-19 vaccines and most had not received antiviral treatment.”

For these reasons, there are no longer requirements for isolating when you test positive for COVID-19.

You do not need to contact Public Health with information about a case of COVID-19 unless you live on campus and have a shared bedroom and would like to take advantage of Public Health housing.

Instead, we encourage each individual to follow these key strategies for all respiratory virus illnesses to keep our campus healthy.

Key Strategies:

Stay at home

As much as possible, you should stay home and away from others until at least 24 hours after both:

1. Your symptoms are getting better overall, and
2. You have not had a fever (and are not using fever-reducing medication).

Resume Normal Activities

Use added prevention strategies over the next five days such as:

• Get tested for respiratory viruses
• Take more steps for cleaner air
• Enhance your hygiene practices
• Wear a well-fitting mask
• Keep a distance from others

Please Note:

People can choose to use these prevention strategies at any time.

Since some people remain contagious beyond the “stay-at-home” period, taking added precautions can lower the chance of spreading respiratory viruses to others.