Nineteen positive COVID-19 cases were reported to the Center for Well-Being during the fifth week of classes.

Fourteen cases were students and five were employees. Eighteen cases came from the St. Paul campus and one came from the Minneapolis campus.

The University Action and Response Team sent an email to the St. Thomas community Monday regarding the “cluster” of positive COVID-19 cases at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity.

The email stated that the case numbers are manageable, but that the university is continuing to implement and maintain isolation protocol for those who test positive.

“Four of last week’s 19 campus-wide positive test results were within SPSSOD. Additional positive test results within SPSSOD came in over the weekend and will be reported in next week’s dashboard,” the email stated. “Isolation procedures are being followed for anyone who tests positive; additionally, any unvaccinated members of SPSSOD who have been in close contact with a positive case are quarantining.”

UART informed the community that there has been no evidence of “classroom or lab transmission at St. Thomas” and reminded the community to continue practicing COVID-19 protocols.

The Center for Well-Being continues to report that the St. Thomas community has an 88.6% vaccination rate.

As of Oct. 11, 92.2% of university employees are vaccinated and 87.8% of students are vaccinated.

The Minnesota Department of Health reported that 3,424,062 Minnesotans have at least one vaccine dose and that 3,254,871 Minnesotans have completed the vaccine series as of Oct. 7, 2021. 70.6% of Minnesotans 18 and older have completed the vaccine series.

St. Thomas releases COVID-19 data every Monday on the COVID-19 Dashboard, which also offers information about reporting positive cases and getting vaccinated.

Mae Macfarlane can be reached at Macf7507@stthomas.edu.