The University of Michigan has revamped its COVID-19 website with streamlined content to better focus on guidance and resources for the Ann Arbor campus community regarding COVID-19 exposure, infection and the community-risk level.

The new website, U-M’s COVID-19 Response, launched Aug. 15 and includes information about the university’s vaccination requirement, how to get a COVID-19 test on campus and community expectations for using the university’s daily symptom checker, ResponsiBLUE.

“The purpose of the refresh to the dashboard is to keep pace with the evolving nature of the pandemic, and to highlight the available surveillance information used by public officials when making recommendations to mitigate risk,” said Robert D. Ernst, chief health officer.

“In support of the goal of maintaining transparency, functionality of the site allows users to ‘hover over’ high level reports to provide more granular detail.”

The website update also includes a new URL — healthresponse.umich.edu — which will replace the previous campusblueprint.umich.edu. Those who visit the previous URL will be redirected to the updated site.

Quick links connect website users to information and resources based on if they have been exposed to COVID-19, are feeling sick or have tested positive. The university’s COVID-19 policies and community guidance also are more prominently highlighted on the website.

In addition, a redesigned dashboard continues to present COVID-19 data including U-M’s case count by day and week, U-M vaccination rates broken down by student, faculty and staff, the percentage of those testing positive through the campus testing program, and occupancy of isolation housing.

New information on the dashboard includes wastewater surveillance data and an overview of the campus risk level as informed by the same metrics used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for county-level community guidance.

The current campus risk level is medium.  Community guidance to prevent the spread of COVID-19 includes:

• Getting vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19.
• Getting tested before attending social activities or following close contact exposures.
• Staying home if sick.
• It is recommended that individuals who are immunocompromised or at high risk for severe disease wear masks when around others indoors.

(Editor’s note: The campus risk level is listed differently in the Record’s Aug. 15 print edition because it was downgraded from high to medium after the edition was printed.)

Tags:

• Campus Maize & Blueprint
• coronavirus
• COVID testing
• COVID-19