Respiratory Guidance

Published March 21, 2024

Please note that Infection Prevention policies for students in the clinical years still follow the facility’s infection prevention policy per CDC guidelines.  Healthcare facility infection prevention policies for COVID are generally more stringent than the new CDC Respiratory Guidance and must be followed when students are at those facilities.

New CDC Respiratory Guidance

The Jacobs School of Medicine has adopted the new CDC guidelines for the prevention of infection by respiratory viruses.  Due to the effectiveness of protective tools and high degree of population immunity, the CDC has changed to a unified prevention strategy for respiratory tract infections. As per the new guidelines:

As the threat from COVID-19 becomes more similar to that of other common respiratory viruses, CDC is issuing Respiratory Virus Guidance, rather than additional virus-specific guidance. This brings a unified, practical approach to addressing risk from a range of common respiratory viral illnesses, such as influenza and RSV, that have similar routes of transmission and symptoms and similar prevention strategies.

Should you develop a respiratory tract infection with fever and are not at a clinical site, you should stay home and away from others until the following circumstances are met.

  • You can go back to your normal activities when, for at least 24 hours, both are true:
  • Your symptoms are getting better overall, and
  • You have not had a fever (and are not using fever-reducing medication).
  • When you go back to your normal activities, take added precaution over the next 5 days, such as taking additional steps for cleaner air, hygiene, masks, physical distancing, and/or testing when you will be around other people indoors.

Preclinical Years

For students in the preclinical years at the Jacobs School, you may return to school under the guidelines above wearing a mask (N95 or KN95 respirators, preferred) for 5 days after your return.

The school guidelines are general guidance . If you are immunocompromised or have other risks, you may require specialized recommendations.  Please follow your providers recommendations.

It has been a long four years.

Questions ?

Please contact OME Deans:

Executive Director for Medical Education and Senior Associate Dean for Student and Academic Affairs

Milling, David

David Milling, MD

Associate Professor

955 Main Street Room 1201 Buffalo, NY 14203-1121

Phone: 716-829-2802; Fax: 716-829-2798

Email: dmilling@buffalo.edu

Associate Dean for Student and Academic Affairs

Silvestri, Nicholas

Nicholas Silvestri, MD, FAAN

Professor of Neurology, Associate Dean for Student and Academic Affairs

Office of Medical Education Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences 955 Main Street Buffalo, NY 14203

Phone: (716) 932-6080; Fax: (716) 829-3010

Email: njs6@buffalo.edu

Associate Dean for Medical Curriculum

Lesse, Alan

Alan Lesse, MD

Associate Professor and Vice Chair for Education; Associate Dean for Medical Curriculum

Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences 955 Main Street, Room 7165 Buffalo, NY 14203-1121

Phone: (716) 829-3467

Email: camlesse@buffalo.edu