April 13, 2021

President’s Update—Legislature, Commencement, Fall Semester

UH President Renu Khator provided a campus update on a number of important topics. She addressed issues related to the pandemic including plans for in-person commencement ceremonies with limited guests, what to expect for the summer semester, and the transition to a “normal” fall semester and gradual return to campus conditions permitting. Read more about these topics and recent University highlights in the President’s March 13 communication.

Vaccination Eligibility & Availability

Appointments for the Pfizer vaccine are now available at the UH for the week of April 12. The Pfizer vaccine is authorized for people 16 and older. Visit the UH COVID-19 Vaccine page for the latest on how to register for an appointment.

Everyone age 16 and older is now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in Texas. All vaccines are authorized for people age 18 and older. The Pfizer vaccine is authorized for people 16 and older.

The new Texas Vaccine Scheduler helps Texans get scheduled for a COVID-19 vaccine at clinics hosted by participating Texas public health entities. Register online at GetTheVaccine.dshs.texas.gov

Travel Guidelines Update

UH has updated its “Return from International Travel” protocols to reflect new CDC guidance for fully vaccinated individuals. Read more on the UH Travel Guidance page. 

Spring 2021 In-Person Commencement

The University of Houston will hold a series of in-person commencement ceremonies to honor our May 2021 graduates. Each ceremony will be available via live stream for those who do not feel comfortable attending in person.

Details are available on the UH Commencement webpage.

Symptoms Following Vaccine & Reporting Requirements

UH has adopted new guidance for vaccinated individuals experiencing symptoms following their vaccine.  If you have received the COVID-19 vaccine within the last 7 days and you have experienced side effects, you may return to campus if at least 24 hours have passed since last fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and improvement in symptoms, AND you have had no known exposure to someone with COVID-19.

The University has Reporting Requirements should you receive a COVID-19 diagnosis, positive test result, are exposed to someone with COVID-19, or return from international travel.

• COVID-19 Diagnosis/Symptoms Protocols
• Reporting Potential Exposure to COVID-19

Free COVID-19 Testing

The University of Houston is partnering with the well-known testing company Curative to provide a free testing on campus where faculty, students and staff can be tested regardless of whether they have symptoms. By appointment only, the testing service is available at the kiosk in front of the UH Student Center South from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

• Curative Testing appointments can be made on the UH appointment website.

We strongly encourage our campus community to get tested, especially if they have recently traveled, are attending in-person classes, are living or working on campus, or have been potentially exposed to COVID-19. More information about testing options and appointments can be found on the “On-Campus Testing” page.

Positive Case Reporting Dashboard Update

The dashboard has been recently updated to include the average new cases reported daily over the past seven days. The change was made to provide better context of the current trend of cases within the UH community.

Case Support Help Desk

A COVID-19 Case Support Help Desk is available to members of the UH campus community Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., by calling 832-84C-OVID or 832-842-6843. Case support is also offered by emailing covid19coordinator@uh.edu.