Nine positive COVID-19 tests were reported to St. Thomas’ Center for Well-Being last week, a decrease of four from the previous week and the first time since early March that total cases were in the single digits.
All cases were from students, with one of them being at the Minneapolis campus.
St. Thomas community members lined up beginning Friday to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at McCarthy Gym, the first of two vaccination rounds hosted by the university. 1,793 individuals received vaccines on Friday and Saturday, according to the COVID-19 Dashboard.
Statewide, 318,107 Minnesotans received COVID-19 vaccines last week, bringing the total number of people with at least one dose up to just under 2.5 million, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.
Center for Well-Being Director Madonna McDermott was glad that members of the community were able to have easy access to the vaccine.
“I think there’s an underestimation that students sometimes have limited ability to get places,” McDermott said. “Not everybody has a car, and we don’t necessarily want people on public transportation if they don’t have to be at this time.”
The university partnered with grocery store chain Hy-Vee to administer vaccines. Appointments first opened to students and staff, then later extended the opportunity to family members of the St. Thomas community.
Senior Megan Torrel and her aunt Patricia Torrel really appreciated getting their vaccines at St. Thomas on Friday because Torrel said they were “looking for one for a long time.”
Once getting an appointment online, the rest of the process was simple for graduate student Brady Caviness.
“It was pretty quick and seamless,” Caviness said. “I was in and out very quickly.”
Many students enjoyed the ease of being able to find an appointment on campus, including sophomore Sonia Galo.
“Every single night I would stay up checking (for appointments),” Galo said. “It was pretty easy (getting an appointment on campus).”
Galo, an international student from Honduras, said she felt blessed to even receive a vaccine.
“They (back home) don’t have a chance, and just me being here and having the opportunity is great and a blessing,” Galo said.
Macalester College is now the first Minnesota college to require students and employees that are working or studying on-campus to be fully vaccinated by August 2, according to a statement Friday from Macalester President Suzanne Rivera.
St. Thomas has not officially said whether COVID-19 vaccines will be required for its students and staff, but it is something that the university is thinking about.
“That’s being discussed in lots of institutions, including our own,” McDermott said. “There’s just not enough information quite yet on whether that’s a recommendation that we make or not.”
Community members that have been vaccinated at St. Thomas will be eligible to receive their second dose of the Pfizer vaccine on May 14, 15 and 17. Appointment links will be sent out via email the week of May 3.
Justin Amaker can be reached at justin.amaker@stthomas.edu.