Weekly Corona update from the crisis team, week 16

Dear members and affiliates of the university,

In the following we inform you about the current situation at our university in the Corona pandemic.

+ Infection figures at TUK

Since last week, one new index case has been reported at TUK. You can also see the development of the numbers on our website. To those infected with Covid-19, we wish you a speedy and complete recovery.

Should you receive a positive test or be contacted as a suspected case, we urge you to register in the reporting portal at https://onlinemeldung.uni-kl.de/login. This is the only way we can keep track of the incidence of infection and take appropriate measures to protect against it.

+ Corona self-tests

This week, the TUK organizational units began issuing the self-tests to both employees (who work at least partially on site) and students (in face-to-face internships/present teaching). A total of 6,680 self-tests for employees and 1,080 self-tests for students have been issued so far. Further quotas can be called up as needed in the coming weeks, initially limited until June 30, 2021.

Further information, details on the exact procedure and how to handle the voluntary self-tests can be found on the websitehttps://www.uni-kl.de/coronavirus/corona-testungen/.

Below you will find an action guide on how to deal with the result of a self-test or rapid test.

What do I do if my voluntary self-test is positive?

If my voluntary self-test is positive, I remain in segregation (test was performed at home) or go into segregation (test was performed at work). In both cases (1) I inform my manager, (2) I report myself as a "suspected case" at the TUK Corona Reporting Portal, and (3) I immediately take care of a professionally conducted rapid test at a citizen test center (cf. Section 6 "Self-testing", Provincial Ordinance on the Segregation of Persons Infected or Suspected to be Infected with the Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and their Household Members and Contacts of April 10, 2021).

What do I do if my rapid test (citizen test center) is positive?

If my rapid test (citizen test center) is positive (1) I go or remain in segregation (see § 2 "Segregation of Covid 19 disease suspects and positively tested persons", State Ordinance on the Segregation of Persons Infected or Suspected to be Infected with the Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and their Household Members and Contacts of April 10, 2021. April 2021), (2) inform my manager, and (3) report myself to the TUK Corona Reporting Portal as an "index case." Notification to the Health Department will be made automatically by the respective Citizen Testing Center.

What do I do if my voluntary self-test is positive and the rapid test (citizen test center) is negative?

If my voluntary self-test was positive and my rapid test (citizen test center) is negative, (1) I inform my manager and report myself as "virus-free" at the Corona reporting portal of the TUK. No further segregation is usually required.

The citizen test centers in Rhineland-Palatinate are listed on the following website: https://covid-19-support.lsjv.rlp.de/hilfe/covid-19-test-dashboard/.

+ Corona test center

It is expected that there will be a Citizen Test Center on the campus of the TUK as early as the middle of next week. The coordination with the German Red Cross (DRK) is now in the final phase, so that the organizational construction of the test center in the learning tent can already begin in parallel. Further details regarding opening hours and procedures can be published at the beginning of next week according to the current situation.

+ Infection figures regionally

The Corona infection figures continue to rise nationwide and regionally in the Kaiserslautern city and district area. Regionally, this is now also noticeably reflected in medical care. After the demand for intensive care beds increased continuously in the last weeks, the capacity of the intensive care unit in the Westpfalzklinikum is almost exhausted. Scheduled surgical procedures are already being postponed. Compared to the first and second wave of infections, the courses are more severe; about 50 percent of the covid patients* admitted to the hospital require intensive care. The age of the patients is predominantly between 50-60 years, but younger people also become seriously ill. As the number of patients requiring intensive care increases with a latency of about two weeks, the situation is expected to worsen.  

In view of the tense situation, we appeal to further restrict personal contacts if possible and to observe the safety measures with distance rules and mandatory masks. The hygiene concept must continue to be strictly adhered to.

+ News from the crisis team

As soon as the new Federal Infection Protection Act is published, we will examine it for possible consequences for us. We will inform you in a new circular email at the beginning of next week if necessary.

+ Vaccinations

As of today, all persons in Group 3 in Rhineland-Palatinate can register for a vaccination appointment. Within the group "personnel working in governments and administrations", this also includes all employees of the TU Kaiserslautern.

At this point, we refer to the circular email sent by the administration to all employees of the TU Kaiserslautern with detailed instructions on the procedure. You can register here https://impftermin.rlp.de/. The form you have to present at the vaccination appointment can be found here https://corona.rlp.de/fileadmin/corona/Dokumente_Impftermin/Formular____4_Nr._4_b_CoronaImpfV.pdf

+ Further information

The current guidelines and further information as well as explanatory graphics can be found online at https://www.uni-kl.de/coronavirus/. Subscribe to the RSS feed at the email address:https://www.uni-kl.de/coronavirus/rss.xml to be notified immediately of any changes.

If you have any questions, you can reach the crisis team at corona[at]uni-kl.de.

Stay well!

Best wishes
Your university management

Prof. Dr. Arnd Poetzsch-Heffter       Prof. Dr. Werner Thiel         Dr. Stefan Löhrke         Stefan Lorenz