Coronavirus Information

Johns Hopkins COVID-19 Call Center

Johns Hopkins students, faculty, and staff who feel ill or are concerned about exposure to the coronavirus may call the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 Call Center at 443-287-8500, seven days a week, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.

The JHCCC is a COVID-19 testing and referral resource for JHU affiliates only and does not provide any information regarding the vaccine for the general public. More information on COVID-19 vaccine distribution can be found at hopkinsmedicine.org.

When you call the JHCCC, representatives will discuss next steps, arrange for testing if needed, and assist in transmitting information to Occupational Health or Student Affairs. The JHCCC will also manage the process to identify and assist people who may have had contact with someone who tests positive.

The JHCCC is staffed by Johns Hopkins nurses, physicians, and specially trained nursing and medical students, but you are always free to call your personal primary care provider, and should continue to do so for family members who have symptoms.

What happens when I call the JHCCC?

Have your JHED ID on hand. Callers will be asked a series of questions about their symptoms and possible exposure to others who have COVID-19. Based on your conversation, you may be referred for a COVID test.

If you meet the criteria set by the Johns Hopkins Infection Control Team in collaboration with Occupational Health:

  1. You will be given a URL for a website where you can schedule a COVID test through Hopkins; you should do this immediately after hanging up with JHCCC
  2. You will be asked to provide the name of your Hopkins supervisor

Your test result will be uploaded to your Hopkins My Chart. 

If you test positive:

  1. The JHCCC will notify your supervisor via email that you are off-duty for on-site work. You will be copied on this email. The JHCCC will also call you to let you know that you have been placed off-duty.
  2. A Hopkins contact tracer will call you and ask about your onset of symptoms and any contacts you had before you were tested. 
  3. A representative from the JHCCC will call you to close out your case when your quarantine/isolation period is finished. They may ask you to send your test results to them via email. 

When your case is closed out, you and your supervisor will receive an email stating that you are cleared to return to duty.

Investigation, contact analysis, notification (ICAN)

Because the COVID-19 omicron variant appears to develop and spread more quickly than previous variants, our existing manual system of contact tracing is less effective. Instead, we have adopted an automated system in which those who test positive will fill out a form listing their close contacts, and those close contacts will then be notified by email.

If an employee tests positive

Supervisors of test-positive employees (faculty, staff, and post-docs) will not be notified of an employee’s COVID-positive status unless the employee gives consent to do so; the supervisor will simply be notified that the employee is off-duty. Test-positive employees must secure clearance for return to work from Occupational Health prior to returning to campus.

If a student tests positive

Students who have a test ordered and are asked to quarantine will be reported to their respective school’s student affairs representative as being “off-duty.” If a student provides consent, additional information will be provided. If the student tests negative, the school will be notified that the student is cleared. If consent is not provided by the student, a committee will review and evaluate the potential public health risk to others.

The committee can recommend and the university can elect to report the student’s COVID-positive status to the school’s student affairs representative without consent should the public health risks warrant such action. This will be a very rare circumstance. Test-positive students must secure clearance for return to class/campus from the Student Health Center prior to return.

Additional resources

From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Frequently asked questions

How does the university learn if an employee or student working in a lab tests positive for COVID-19?

All students, faculty, and staff who are participating in on-campus activities should monitor themselves daily for any symptoms. Anyone who has symptoms associated with COVID-19 or who has concerns about exposure to COVID-19 is strongly encouraged to call the Johns Hopkins COVID Call Center, or JHCCC, at 833-546-7546 to be triaged to determine if they meet the criteria for testing. In the case of employees, their supervisor will be informed that the employee is “off-duty” until cleared. In the case of students, their school’s Student Affairs representative will be notified that the student is “off-duty.” The student’s name will be shared with the student’s consent.

The JHCCC will inform you of your test result if you are tested at a Johns Hopkins facility. If your test is negative, your supervisor or Student Affairs Representative will receive a message that you have been cleared. If you test positive, you will remain “off-duty” and there will be no additional communication to your supervisor or Student Affairs representative until you are cleared. You are encouraged but not required to share the information with your supervisor or Student Affairs representative.

Last updated: Dec 3, 2020 12:00am

How do I get cleared to go back to work or class after I recover from COVID-19?

JHU affiliates who test positive through the JHU testing process will be contacted by phone or email by the JHCCC or the Student Health Center. If you are an employee and tested at home, call the JHCCC at 833-546-7546 to be sure the university knows that you are off-duty due to COVID. If you are a student and tested at home, complete the Student Health and Wellness form to be sure the university knows that you have tested positive and will not be required to test for 90 days.

You are required to isolate for five days from the date of your positive test; the date of your positive test is considered Day 1. Your supervisor or school student affairs staff will be contacted to note that you are off-duty/away from class. During this time, you are not permitted to be on campus and should coordinate with your supervisor/instructors to determine if you should take sick leave or can continue some activities remotely. You will be automatically notified when you are cleared, and may return to campus on the sixth day if you are free of symptoms; a negative test is not required to return to campus.

Last updated: April 18, 2022 10:05am