Brock University\u2019s COVID-19 nurses are the first point of contact for students with questions related to the coronavirus.<\/p>\n
As one of five nurses on Brock\u2019s Student Health Services health-care team, Christina Snedden is the primary person behind the covid19nurse@brocku.ca<\/a> email address, which has become an important resource for students over the past 17 months.<\/p>\n As a former hospital nurse, Snedden has several years of medical experience working in a variety of departments \u2014 from the emergency room to day surgery, and even the odd shift in labour and delivery. She came to Brock five years ago looking for a change.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s one of the best decisions I\u2019ve ever made,\u201d she said. \u201cWorking with young adults is a much different world than working in a hospital. Students have taught me a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n A significant part of Snedden\u2019s role is collaborating with Brock International Services to help support international students arriving in Canada from other countries.<\/p>\n She reaches out to students to explain COVID-19 testing and quarantining requirements, and then checks in with them daily throughout their quarantine period.<\/p>\n Snedden is often asked by students if they can leave quarantine to get a vaccination or cut their quarantine short once they receive a negative test. The answer to both questions is \u201cno.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe virus has a 14-day incubation period, so it can develop any time during the 14 days,\u201d she says. \u201cA student may feel great on Day 8 when they take a test, and on Day 10 they receive a negative test and want to leave quarantine \u2014 but they can\u2019t and shouldn\u2019t. People can develop symptoms after they\u2019ve had COVID-19 tests, even while they\u2019re still in quarantine.\u201d<\/p>\n Other common questions Snedden receives are related to the COVID-19 vaccine, including how to book an injection and where to get it. She often forwards vaccination questions to resource nurse Jacqueline Larocque, who facilitates the on-campus COVID-19 vaccination clinic for students.<\/p>\n Students can book an appointment to receive the Moderna vaccine through a self-serve online appointment booking system<\/a>. Appointments are available most Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 3:25 p.m.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of the students I see are quite excited to get the vaccine,\u201d Larocque says. \u201cSo far, more than 1,000 students have registered to get the vaccine at Brock. I\u2019m really proud of our students.\u201d<\/p>\n Before coming to Brock, Larocque worked for 10 years in a long-term care facility and then 12 years for a family health team in Virgil and Niagara-on-the-Lake.<\/p>\n She says if students have questions about the COVID-19 vaccine, they can email her at resourcenurse@brocku.ca<\/a> or phone 905-688-5550 x3243 to book an immunization counselling session with a Student Health Services nurse practitioner or doctor.<\/p>\n For questions about COVID-19, students are encouraged to email Snedden at covid19nurse@brocku.ca<\/a> or phone 289-968-5273.<\/p>\n All other health-related questions can be directed to Larocque by emailing resourcenurse@brocku.ca<\/a> or phoning 905-688-5550 x3243.<\/p>\n