Twenty-nine positive COVID-19 cases were reported to the Center for Well-Being during the week of October 15, which is the highest number of positive cases so far this semester.

Twenty-eight of these cases came from the St. Paul campus with one positive case from the Minneapolis campus. Twenty-four cases were students and five were employees.

Fourteen of this week’s cases are from a “cluster” in the St. Paul School of Divinity. The University Action and Response Team sent an email to the St. Thomas community about this cluster on October 11.

“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 said in the email.

As of October 18, the Center for Well-Being reported an 88.8% university-wide vaccination rate with a 92.2% rate among employees and an 88.0% rate among students.

The COVID-19 dashboard continues to report that the total number of cases is within a manageable range and there is currently no evidence of classroom transmission.

The Minnesota Department of Health reported that 3,438,422 Minnesotans have at least one vaccine dose and that 3,270,542 Minnesotans have completed the vaccine series as of October 14. 77.6% 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.

Angeline Terry can be reached at Terr2351@stthomas.edu.