[Special Feature: The Corona Crisis and the University] The Role of the Health Center in Protecting Students, Faculty, and Staff / Tomoyasu Nishimura

Image: Health Center (Yagami)

The Keio University Health Center is a department responsible for the health management of the university's students, faculty, and staff, and is also a Research Centers and Institutes that conducts medical sciences research for the maintenance and promotion of health.

Schools are places where students, faculty, and staff lead collective lives, making it easy for infections to spread if an infectious disease occurs. Furthermore, hospitals are places used by many elderly people and patients with weakened immune systems, where the occurrence of an infectious disease is likely to lead to the spread of infection and increased severity. Since Keio University is an educational institution and also has a university hospital, infectious disease measures for students, faculty, and staff are critical. Since January 2020, when the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) began to spread primarily in Wuhan, China, the Health Center has been implementing COVID-19 measures for the university in consultation with the Keio University COVID-19 Task Force and the University Hospital COVID-19 Task Force.

Under the basic policy of preventing cluster infections of COVID-19 within campuses and the hospital, the Health Center has implemented stricter restrictions on attending school and work for students, faculty, and staff, and is conducting health consultations and identifying close contacts and symptomatic individuals. As a rule for school and work restrictions, not only COVID-19 patients but also students, faculty, and staff at high risk of infection (such as close contacts) and those with symptoms where the possibility of COVID-19 cannot be ruled out are prohibited from attending school or work. Additionally, students, faculty, and staff falling into these categories are required to report to the Health Center, which then conducts health status checks and health consultations until they are in a condition to return to school or work.

Due to the spread of COVID-19 in Japan, the university temporarily suspended educational and research activities at on-campus facilities. However, based on the infection situation, educational and research activities at on-campus facilities were resumed in stages starting June 8. Prior to the resumption, an educational video explaining the behaviors required for COVID-19 prevention was created and viewed by students, faculty, and staff to ensure thorough infection prevention.

In Tokyo, more than 100 new cases have been reported almost every day since the beginning of July, and the COVID-19 epidemic is still recognized. Even under such circumstances, the Health Center will continue to take COVID-19 measures for the university's students, faculty, and staff so that they can proceed with educational and research activities and the university hospital can maintain its clinical functions.