Even with the arrival of COVID-19 vaccine, Ben Batey, chief health officer at Bowling Green State University, is urging caution.
“We are hopeful for the future but must remain mindful of our actions today, especially during this holiday season,” Batey said during his weekly update Wednesday, Dec. 16. “Continue to limit your interactions with individuals outside of your household, wear a face covering and maintain 6 feet of physical distance.”
This could lead to more normalcy in the spring and summer.
The university has reported a slight uptick in cases, 44 this week, compared to 38 this year. This “sustained caseload … seems to manageable,” and to be expected with fewer students on campus. For this week’s cases included 34 students, two faculty, and eight staff, almost all residing off campus. One infected student remains in isolation on campus.
This brings the cumulative number of cases for the semester to 1,012 – 944 students, 17 faculty, and 51 staff.
The university continues to offer on-campus rapid testing for students, faculty and staff. Testing is by appointment this Thursday (Dec. 17) and Friday (Dec. 18) inside Memorial Hall. Testing times and sign-up availability will be updated on the Forward Falcons website.
On Dec. 9, 163 rapid tests were given, with four testing positive, a 2.44-percent positivity rate.
The university is also continuing to randomly test asymptomatic undergraduate and graduate students in targeted groups. From Dec. 6 through Dec. 11, 506 of those tests were administered, and two individuals tested, a 0.4-percent positivity rate.
