One-hundred twenty seven positive COVID-19 cases were reported last week by St. Thomas’ Center for Well-Being Monday, the highest weekly total seen all semester.
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 COVID-19 Dashboard message said. “However, a small number of transmissions have happened in other campus areas.”
The dashboard also noted that transmission was unknown in “multiple cases” last week.
“As the pandemic continues, it can be hard to stay vigilant, but it’s critical we all continue to diligently follow social distancing and mask-wearing protocols, particularly as the rate of cases in the St. Thomas community and in the larger community continue to increase,” the dashboard message said.
This spike in cases mirrors the rising cases statewide. The Minnesota Department of Health reported 7,444 new cases Monday, for a total of 231,018 cases statewide.
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.”
Students can choose to stay on campus over Thanksgiving break, and will receive a sign-up form from Residence Life where they can make their decision. Residence halls and dining services will continue to stay open after Thanksgiving break, and services will continue through the end of the semester.
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.
Active cases within the community “are at the upper level of a manageable range” based on the Key Considerations to Guide Decisions on Campus Operations.
The university is reporting more than 50% availability in quarantine and isolation spaces on campus, according to the dashboard. Quarantine and isolation spaces on campus have also been increased.
St. Thomas contact tracers have also been able to interview 90-100% of reported positive cases within 24 hours of test results over a seven day average.
The positive COVID-19 test numbers come from tests conducted at the Center for Well-Being, self-reported tests and reports from the Minnesota Department of Health.
According to the university’s COVID-19 Preparedness Plan, individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 “are expected to stay home until they have been fever-free for 72 hours (without use of medicine that reduces fever) and at least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared and other symptoms have improved.”
The plan also requires 14 days of quarantine for community members who have had close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19.
COVID-19 data is released by St. Thomas weekly on Mondays and can be found on the university’s COVID-19 Dashboard.
Justin Amaker can be reached at justin.amaker@stthomas.edu.
Joey Swanson can be reached at swan5350@stthomas.edu.
Maggie Stout can be reached at maggie.stout@stthomas.edu.