Dr. Michael Apostolakos, chief medical officer at Strong Memorial Hospital, has been at the forefront of treating, monitoring and communicating about COVID-19 in the greater Rochester community since the pandemic began. His regular email updates have kept the URMC community apprised of the status of the infection and have included important details and resources on staying healthy, as well the current COVID-19 prevention protocols in place.
Now, a digest form of these updates will be featured in @Rochester and on the University’s COVID-19 website as a way to share important information with the broader University community. Read the December 14 update from Dr. Apostolakos below.
December 14 message
With holidays just around the corner, everyone should be extra mindful to follow safety guidelines to prevent exposures to COVID and risk spending your holidays quarantined, or unknowingly bringing COVID to a holiday gathering. Some simple steps at work—especially at mealtimes when COVID exposures often occur between employees can help prevent exposures and ensure that you can safely celebrate holidays together with your loved ones.
Specifically, if you eat with others at work, space yourselves out around a table, maintaining at least six feet apart, regardless of how the furniture is arranged. Please follow all posted signage, eat only in designated areas, and remain masked in meeting spaces except during designated meal breaks. Following these guidelines will help to keep you safe, and your loved ones, too.
And we leave you with a significant milestone: Today marks the first anniversary of UR Medicine’s first COVID vaccinations. From the 10 shots we gave that day our effort has expanded to tens of thousands of doses. While COVID continues to surge locally, the good news is that each series of shots provides protection against serious illness, hospitalization and death for someone in our community. We’re grateful to everyone involved in the ongoing vaccination campaign, from those who helped with vaccine trials to those administering (and receiving!) the shots.
Helpful links
- View the University’s COVID-19 Dashboard
- To view up-to-date data on COVID-19 vaccination rates in the Rochester region, see the Finger Lakes Vaccine Hub
- View Monroe County data on COVID-19 cases