A UF College of Dentistry student who treated patients was among those diagnosed with COVID-19.

A University of Florida College of Dentistry student who treated patients is among the confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Gainesville.

The student, who traveled to Portugal over spring break, continued to work in the school’s clinic, despite not feeling well, he told his classmates in an email shared with The Sun.

The infected student said he was tested on March 9 and received the results indicating a positive diagnosis March 12. The college suspended clinical activities for students later that day.

The student also said university and College of Dentistry officials asked him not to communicate about his diagnosis because it complicated how UF must respond.

"I was asked to hold off on a global communication by the college and UF, because it complicates how the university must response as they are still trying to get a handle on this moving target," he wrote.

UF Health spokesman Ken Garcia said in an email Monday evening that dental students operate in the Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry (DMD) centers, where they provide care under the close supervision of faculty members.

Another dental student who corresponded anonymously with the Sun said the person who tested positive had performed a root canal procedure the day he was tested. Students spend about six total hours seeing patients during one day’s shift.

The anonymous student described the space as a large room filled with approximately 30 students, 20 faculty and five patients at a time, many of whom are elderly or low-income.

The student also said the college did not provide any information to students about a pending test and would not tell them if it was safe for them to return home to their own families.

In an email sent to the Sun Tuesday afternoon Garcia, of UF Health, said the safety of patients, students, caregivers and the community has remained a priority.

He also said if the virus progressed within the university, UF Health would address that promptly and appropriately, with guidance and direction from epidemiology experts, along with state and local authorities.

Administration from the College of Dentistry declined to comment. However, the newspaper obtained screenshots of emails sent to dentistry students by the administration in which it expressed heightened concern for the spread of the virus to elderly and immunocompromised populations.

Students who are ill or worried about becoming ill should not perform patient care or travel to businesses in town at all, one administrator wrote in an email sent on Friday, at about 7 p.m.

In another email, an administrator wrote that sharing details about a specific individual or circumstance would be inappropriate and would not adhere to HIPAA and FERPA laws. College administrators said all decisions were made with the guidance and approval of experts.

The coronavirus-positive student told classmates in his email, which the college allowed him to send after Gov. Ron DeSantis made an announcement that UF has four confirmed cases Tuesday morning, that he experienced minor cold symptoms including a sore throat, headaches and chills upon returning from overseas and immediately contacted the health department.

The department did not allow him to be tested at that time, he said, because he did not exhibit severe symptoms. He wrote that he had to badger his doctor to be tested and that his father, who is a doctor, had to repeatedly press the testing center to get the test processed.

"...(P)lease know that the main threat our nation is facing right now is access to diagnostic tests," the student wrote.

Paul Myers, Florida Department of Health in Alachua County administrator, said he cannot share details related to the department’s investigations.

The infected student said he encourages other students to get tested if they show any symptoms similar to even a minor cold or an allergy flare-up.

Garcia, of UF Health, said in Monday’s email that the UF College of Dentistry decided to reschedule all elective dental procedures at all of its care centers, beginning Monday. Only patients with urgent or emergency needs will receive care through March 30.

Dental care occurs in very close contact between patients and providers, Garcia said, and a great number of dental procedures create aerosol spray that could potentially spread the coronavirus between those directly involved in the procedure.

On a College of Dentistry webpage that contains information related to the COVID-19, the college said it decided to postpone non-emergency care based on the risks associated with regular operations, consultations with UF Health experts and recommendations from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. It did not mention the potential that students or faculty may have been exposed to the virus.