One-hundred twenty seven positive COVID-19 cases were reported for the past week by St. Thomas’ Center for Well-Being Monday, the highest weekly total seen all semester.
This spike in cases mirrors the rising number of cases statewide. The Minnesota Department of Health reported 7,444 new cases Monday, for a total of 231,018.
Cases from employees and from the Minneapolis campus reached record highs last week with 15 coming from employees and 11 from the Minneapolis campus.
“There is still no evidence of transmission in classrooms and labs, and we believe most transmissions happened off-campus,” the St. Thomas COVID-19 Dashboard message said. “However, a small number of transmissions have happened in other campus areas.”
St. Thomas is offering free saliva polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for asymptomatic students, faculty and staff on Wednesday, Nov. 18 and Thursday, Nov. 19 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Anderson Athletic and Recreation Complex Field House.
In an email sent to undergraduate students Monday, Academic Affairs announced that some professors “may announce changes to your classes in the coming weeks.”
“If you are concerned about attending any of your in-person classes, please connect with your professor about your options,” the email said. “We have asked professors to be flexible with students, and they will provide an option for you to finish virtually if needed.”
Amazon opened an online pharmacy Tuesday that allows customers to order medication or prescription refills and have them delivered to their front doors in a couple of days. Amazon will offer commonly prescribed medications in the U.S., including creams and pills, as well as medications like insulin that need to stay refrigerated.
The potential impact of Amazon’s arrival in the pharmaceutical space rippled through that sector immediately. Before the opening bell, shares of CVS Health Corp. fell almost 9%. Walgreens and Rite Aid both tumbled more than 10%.
Shoppers have to set up a profile on Amazon’s website and have their doctors send prescriptions there. The company said it won’t ship medications that can be abused, including many opioids.
Most insurance is accepted, Amazon said, but Prime members who don’t have insurance can also buy generic or brand name drugs from Amazon for a discount.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins threw for 292 yards and two touchdowns Monday night, and the Minnesota Vikings overcame a 104-yard kickoff return by Chicago’s Cordarrelle Patterson to beat the Bears 19-13.
Cousins won for the first time in 10 career Monday night starts, and the Vikings (4-5) held on for their third straight win. They also snapped a four-game losing streak against Chicago (5-5).
The Vikings won for just the fourth time in 18 games at Soldier Field since it reopened in 2003 following renovations.
The Vikings will host the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
Jacqueline Strunk can be reached at jacqueline.strunk@stthomas.edu.