COVID-19 Infection / Close Contact Report
As of May 8

Infection control measures

  • Wear a mask in places of poor ventilation and places with many people.
  • Regular handwashing, hand disinfection, and ventilation are effective measures to prevent other diseases as well.

What to do when you contracted Covid-19 or influenza:

  1. Do not attend class.
  2. Class attendance is suspended for the following period: Count the day you started feeling symptoms as 0. After the day you started feeling symptoms, five days need to pass, and one more day after your symptoms have improved.
  3. Contact central administration via the following link: https://www.dash.osaka-u.ac.jp/

Classes

  1. Contact the office via email. You will be sent an absence form to fill out.
  2. The office will stamp the reception of the form and contact you. Once your isolation period has ended, please pick up the form at the office.
    • Applies only to IUDP classes.
    • Submit documentation showing that you have contracted Covid-19 or influenza.
  3. Submit the absence form to your lecturer.

The information provided on November 11 is no longer valid.

As of November 11

This section provides you with some basic information on what to do in case of a COVID-19 infection. It gives you an overview of the procedures you need to follow at Osaka University.

NOTE:
Osaka University’s COVID-19-related measures are based on the measures established by the Osaka prefectural government and are therefore subject to change. Accordingly, we will update this section when necessary.

Information about Osaka Prefecture Test Kit Distribution Center As of November 11, 2022

Osaka prefecture has started a new diagnosis and test system. The prefecture is distributing free test kits to persons between the age of 10 and 64 who are low risk but are suspected to have contracted the virus.

You can apply for the test kit if you fulfill all the following four conditions:

  1. You are living in Osaka prefecture, and you are between the age of 10 and 64.
  2. You have symptoms, such as a fever or a throat ache.
  3. You have no underlying condition that might increase the severity of your infection.
  4. You are not pregnant.

Please apply for the test kit via this link:
https://www.pref.osaka.lg.jp.e.agb.hp.transer.com/kansenshokikaku/kensataisei/kitmousikomi.html

The kit will arrive in 2~3 days. Please do the test while you have symptoms. Once you finished testing, put the kit in a plastic bag and seal it off properly. Dispose of the kit according to the rules of your municipality.

You should register with two systems:

  1. If you test positive, register online through Osaka University’s DASH.
    https://web.dash.osaka-u.ac.jp/secure/covid-19/
  2. Also, because your symptoms might worsen, register with the prefecture’s Center for Persons Who Have Tested Positive（大阪府陽性者登録センター）as well.
    https://www.pref.osaka.lg.jp.e.agb.hp.transer.com/iryo/2019ncov/youseitouroku.html

Finally, inform the IUPD office via email.

Quarantine ends after 7 days, provided that you are at least 24 hours without symptoms.

Please note that you need to continue to quarantine for the full 7-day period, even if you no longer have any symptoms.

However, if you are without symptoms for at least 24 hours, you may go out for a short time to buy groceries. In that case, make sure to take measures to prevent infection, such as wearing a mask and disinfecting your hands.

After quarantine ends, please continue preventive measures, such as wearing masks, on a daily basis.

Self isolation at home

Observe how you feel

The symptoms of a COVID-19 infection are various. It is therefore important that you observe how you feel. 

The most common symptoms include:

  • a high temperature or shivering (chills) – a high temperature means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
  • a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours
  • a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste
  • shortness of breath
  • feeling tired or exhausted
  • an aching body
  • a headache
  • a sore throat
  • a blocked or runny nose
  • loss of appetite
  • diarrhea
  • feeling sick or being sick

If you think that you might be infected with COVID-19, please refrain from going to classes that are face-to-face and follow these procedures:

  1. Contact the HUS IUDP Administration Office and inform them about how you feel. 
  2. For face-to-face classes, contact your professors and inform them of your absence.
  3. Get tested. Note: You may get tested either at a hospital (PCR, antigen test), at a public health center (PCR test, antigen test), with an at-home test kit, or at a private institution such as a pharmacy or airport (PCR test, antigen test).
    If you are without any symptoms, you may test with an approved COVID-19 antigen test kit. https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/newpage_11331.html

What if I test positive?

If you test positive, you need to register with OU’s Department for the Administration of Safety and Health via this link:

https://web.dash.osaka-u.ac.jp/secure/covid-19/

Contact the professors of your classes and the HUS IUDP Administration Office to inform them about your situation. 

Once you have registered, the HUS IUDP Administration Office will send a notification to your professors, who will exempt you from attendance.

If you have symptoms or have a medical condition and are worried about your infection, please contact your hospital. You can also check the homepage of your city for further information and contact details for consultation.

Important note about scholarship recipients:

MEXT scholarship:

MEXT scholarship recipients need to get a PCR test from a hospital and follow the procedures set by the HUS IUDP administration office.

OU scholarship and others:

Please contact and consult with the HUS IUDP Administration Office.

What if I am/have been in close contact with someone who is infected with COVID-19?

If you are informed by your friends, classmates, or family members that you are a close contact, confirm with them that they tested positive (This has to be a positive PCR test taken at a clinic). If they tested positive with the PCR test, you need to register with OU’s Department for the Administration of Safety and Health via this link:
https://web.dash.osaka-u.ac.jp/secure/covid-19/

Also, make sure you inform the HUS IUDP Administration Office.

As a close contact person, you are required to isolate yourself at home for 5 days starting the day after you had contact with the positive tested person. If you are without any symptoms, you may test with an approved COVID-19 antigen test kit on the 2nd and 3rd day of isolation. If the test result is negative, you can end your isolation on the 3rd day.

However, you will still be required to refrain from having contact with high-risk persons, for example those with an underlying condition and elderly people until the 7-day period is over. You should also refrain from visiting high-risk facilities, eating out together, and participating in large-scale events during that period.

Who is a close contact?

OU counts the following persons as close contacts (as of April 28, 2022):

  • persons who are living with someone who has tested positive
  • persons who have been eating and drinking while having a conversation with a person who has tested positive
  • persons who have been having a conversation with a person tested positive without both wearing a mask
  • persons who have been in an enclosed space (for example boarding house, karaoke, hotel, etc.) with a person tested positive for more than one hour

I am worried about my health and safety in attending face-to-face classes.

Students with an underlying condition may apply to be exempted from face-to-face classes.

To apply for an exemption, follow this application process:

1. Web application

Fill out the web application form: https://my.osaka-u.ac.jp/admin/edu/hairyo-shinsei_R4SS/

2. Application for interview

After applying, you will receive a confirmation email, which includes the contact details of OU’s Health and Counseling Center. Please make a reservation for an appointment at the Center.

3. Students with a medical certificate 

If you are an outpatient at a clinic for treatment of an underlying condition, please send a medical certificate from your attending physician as a pdf file to:
covid-19_hairyo[at]office.osaka-u.ac.jp
Rename the file with your student number.

4. Interview → Opinion letter

Have the interview at the Health and Counseling Center. Based on the interview, the Center will write an opinion letter.

5. Sending of opinion letter

The opinion letter will be sent to you (to your OU email address) and HUS.

6. Consideration of exemption request & notification

HUS will consider the necessity for exemption and notify you.

7. Request for exemption (in case granted)

If exemption is granted, HUS will request faculty to make the arrangements necessary for accommodation.

Related links: