Campus announcements
SWS webinar on COVID-19 and support offered to students
16 June 2021 | Campus AnnouncementDear students
The Department of Student Affairs (DSA)’s Student Wellness Service (SWS) will host webinars every Thursday, during which tips will be shared on COVID-19. The first webinar will be held on Thursday, 17 June from 12:30 to 13:30 via MS Teams.
- Join the webinar (at 12:30 on 17 June).
Further details, including confirmed dates and links for upcoming webinars, will be made available on the SWS website.
Information on COVID-19 infections, UCT’s COVID-19 app, as well as campus and residence public health protocols will be discussed at the session.
- Read the DSA’s SWS COVID-19 student protocol.
- Read about how to report COVID-19 infections or access virtual SWS consultations.
- Read about how to cope with being in isolation.
Students are reminded to check the SWS FAQs for information relating to COVID-19. Read more about the COVID-19 support plan for students.
Some of the useful information covered through the FAQs include:
- Who do I contact if I have a COVID-19 related query?
Book online or contact the SWS triage line (021 650 5620) or the COVID-19 hotline (021 650 1271). - What happens if an SWS clinician confirms that I have COVID-19 symptoms or I have tested positive for COVID-19?
Students who live off campus will be provided with support and treatment if needed.
Students who live in UCT residences will be transferred to the UCT isolation facility – All Africa House – and if not tested, will be assisted with testing at a public or private testing facility.
Students should inform their faculty if they test positive. - What happens if I am a close contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19?
“Close contact” means that you have had face-to-face contact within 1 metre or you were in a closed space for more than 15 minutes with a person with COVID-19. This contact would have happened while the person with COVID-19 was still “infectious”, ie from two days before to 10 days after their symptoms began.
Students who are close contacts of a confirmed COVID-19 case must self-quarantine in their UCT rooms or in their private accommodation for 10 days.
SWS will contact close contacts of confirmed cases and provide them with the necessary advice and support during their 10-day self-quarantine period.
See the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) website for further advice. - What facilities are offered by the SWS?
SWS is a comprehensive primary health care facility, providing medical, counselling and social work services. - How do I make a medical appointment?
Book online. - How do I make a counselling / social work appointment?
Book online. - Who do I contact for psychiatric emergencies?
Contact the SWS. - Who do I contact if distressed at any time?
Call the 24-hour telephonic services, which is available 365 days a year. The SADAG UCT Students Careline can be reached by calling 0800 24 25 26 (toll-free from a Telkom line) or sending an SMS to 31393 for a call-me-back. The ER24 UCT collaboration line can be reached on 010 205 3010 (toll-free). - Who do I contact if I require an ambulance?
Contact Campus Protection Services (CPS) on 021 650 2222/3 (24-hour hotline). - Who do I contact if I have been sexually assaulted?
Contact CPS on 021 650 2222/3 (24-hour hotline) or the Office for Inclusivity & Change on 021 650 3530 or 072 393 7824.
The SWS has in place other measures to support your wellbeing:
- Get more information on the Peer Mental Health Support Programme, meet the SWS’s peer counsellors and start getting involved.
- Join the RunWalk4MentalHealth activity.
- Join a support group such as Mindfulness (Pause & Connect Group).
- Are you a postgraduate student juggling studying and everything else? Join the Post Graduate Support Group by emailing SWS@uct.ac.za.
- Check the SWS website.
Students can send questions to the SWS peer counsellors on SWS@uct.ac.za or contact Ms Keletso Moilwe on keletso.moilwe@myuct.ac.za.
Remember:
- The pandemic is still here. We always need to remain cautious and follow all public health protocols on and off campus for the health of ourselves and of others.
- If you are coming to campus, use the UCT app before leaving home. If you are ill, stay home and report any red or amber result on the UCT app to SWS.
- Wash hands regularly or sanitise, wear your mask – covering the nose and mouth – and show care by maintaining social distance.
- When the vaccine rollout phase allows for students to be vaccinated, please do get your jab.
- Most of all, please play your part in preventing the spread of infection.
Student Wellness Services
Read previous communications:
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UCT’s response to COVID-19
COVID-19 is a global pandemic that caused President Cyril Ramaphosa to declare a national disaster in South Africa on 15 March 2020 and to implement a national lockdown from 26 March 2020. UCT is taking the threat of infection in our university community extremely seriously, and this page will be updated with the latest COVID-19 information. Please note that the information on this page is subject to change depending on current lockdown regulations.
Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla, has in June 2022 repealed some of South Africa’s remaining COVID-19 regulations: namely, sections 16A, 16B and 16C of the Regulations Relating to the Surveillance and the Control of Notifiable Medical Conditions under the National Health Act. We are now no longer required to wear masks or limit gatherings. Venue restrictions and checks for travellers coming into South Africa have now also been removed.
Read the latest document available on the UCT policies web page.
Campus communications
2022
UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre
On Wednesday, 20 July, staff from the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Faculty of Health Sciences came together with representatives from the Western Cape Government at the UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre at Forest Hill Residence to acknowledge the centre’s significance in the fight against COVID-19 and to thank its staff for their contributions. The centre opened on 1 September 2021 with the aim of providing quality vaccination services to UCT staff, students and the nearby communities, as well as to create an opportunity for medical students from the Faculty of Health Sciences to gain practical public health skills. The vaccination centre ceased operations on Friday, 29 July 2022.
With the closure of the UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre, if you still require access to a COVID-19 vaccination site please visit the CovidComms SA website to find an alternative.
“After almost a year of operation, the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Community of Hope Vaccination Centre, located at the Forest Hill residence complex in Mowbray, will close on Friday, 29 July 2022. I am extremely grateful and proud of all staff, students and everyone involved in this important project.”
– Vice-Chancellor Prof Mamokgethi PhakengWith the closure of the UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre, if you still require access to a COVID-19 vaccination site please visit the CovidComms SA website to find an alternative.
Frequently asked questions
Global Citizen Asks: Are COVID-19 Vaccines Safe & Effective?
UCT’s Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine (IDM) collaborated with Global Citizen, speaking to trusted experts to dispel vaccine misinformation.
If you have further questions about the COVID-19 vaccine check out the FAQ produced by the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation (DTHF). The DTHF has developed a dedicated chat function where you can ask your vaccine-related questions on the bottom right hand corner of the website.
IDM YouTube channel | IDM website
“As a contact university, we look forward to readjusting our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in 2023 as the COVID-19 regulations have been repealed.”
– Prof Harsha Kathard, Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching and Learning
We are continuing to monitor the situation and we will be updating the UCT community regularly – as and when there are further updates. If you are concerned or need more information, students can contact the Student Wellness Service on 021 650 5620 or 021 650 1271 (after hours), while staff can contact 021 650 5685.