Texas College continues to closely monitor the ongoing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. As the College continues to navigate these unprecedented times, the health and safety of students, faculty, and staff remains the College's top priority. In doing so, planning efforts solely surround providing the safest environment most conducive for education. Though situated in East Texas, Texas College's student population draws from across the globe. With consideration to this, the College employs a thorough utilization of data provided from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), and the Northeast Texas Public Health District (NET Health) to ensure a comprehensive assessment. As updates occur, the latest information will be posted to this page to best keep the Texas College community informed. Please review Texas College's COVID-19 Vaccination Policy below. Additionally provided is the College's COVID-19 Contingency Plan, as well as Safety Measures and Campus COVID-19 Protocols, accessible by clicking the respective purple button below.
Texas College as a private, faith-based institution, strongly suggest that effective Fall term 2021, all students, faculty and staff provide evidence that they have been fully vaccinated. Individuals who have religious beliefs, medical reasons and/or philosophies (or are generally indifferent to taking a vaccination) will be required to provide and/or sign a statement to that effect, which they believe prohibit them from being fully vaccinated.
Though part of the large coronavirus family commonly found in a variety of animals, as well as humans and cause the common cold, COVID-19 has emerged as a more severe respiratory illness able to spread from person to person. The heightened severity accompanied with the virus' contagious nature has presented itself as a concern on an international scale. First identified in late 2019 amid an outbreak investigation in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, COVID-19 has spread rapidly across the globe, with the United States’ first case confirmed on January 21, 2020, in the state of Washington. On March 11, 2020, less than two months following the initial U.S. infection, COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the WHO. As COVID-19 continued infiltration across the world, the virus congruently swept the U.S., yielding a tremendous spike in confirmed cases. The influx of cases throughout the nation called for stay at home orders to best assist with flattening the curve, or slowing the spread. As the curve began to flatten, orders eased and the nation began to reopen. However, the attempt to return to normalcy would initiate a second surge in positive cases in June 2020 and would continue to fluctuate throughout the year, as well as through 2021. However, there are now three vaccines available, all authorized and recommended, to protect against COVID-19. To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccines available, click here.
People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported, ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with the following symptoms may have COVID-19:
This list does not include all possible symptoms. CDC will continue to update this list as more is learned about COVID-19.
Look for emergency warning signs* for COVID-19. If someone is showing any of these signs, seek emergency medical care immediately:
*This list is not comprehensive of all possible symptoms. Please call your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning to you.
Call 911 or call ahead to your local emergency facility: Notify the operator that you are seeking care for someone who has or may have COVID-19.
UT Health East Texas
PHONE: (903) 596-DOCS (3627)
WEBSITE: https://uthealtheasttexas.com/coronavirus
CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances
PHONE: (903) 606 - DOCS (3627)
WEBSITE: https://www.christushealth.org/trinity/corona-virus
For the latest and most accurate updates regarding COVID-19, please visit the website links listed below.
World Health Organization (WHO): https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
National Institutes of Health/Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIH): https://www.niaid.nih.gov/diseases-conditions/coronaviruses
Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS): https://dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus
Northeast Texas Public Health District (NET Health): https://www.nethealthcovid19.org
Though Texas College is currently limiting visitors on campus, all visitors, should they be permitted, are required to:
Please click the headline below to view the message/update.
