Public Health Update – December 6, 2021

To the campus community:

I’d like to take a moment to offer information about the Omicron variant, answer some questions about boosters, and remind you of the University’s approach to isolation and quarantine.

As you know, we have seen a fluctuation in the number of COVID-19 cases on campus over the past several weeks. Thanks to an almost fully vaccinated campus and our mask mandate, we had very few cases at the beginning of the semester. Those numbers rose before Thanksgiving, but we have seen a reduction over the past week. The increase in cases is a reminder that we all still need to be diligent and adhere to all the safety protocols outlined on Keep Wes Safe website.

Increased cases of many viral illnesses, including COVID-19, are more prevalent in the colder months as activities move inside. Thanks to our safety protocols, we have not seen spread in classroom settings. Spread of COVID-19 appears to be happening primarily through indoor, unmasked socialization.

Update from the Pandemic Planning Committee

To the Wesleyan community:

The Pandemic Planning Community continues to closely monitor our COVID-19 positivity rate. Test results from this week—14 new positive cases from a total of 2971 tests—are lower than the rate of positive cases reported prior to the Thanksgiving break.

Our campus positivity rate remains low in the context of the surrounding area. In addition, those who have tested positive have experienced either no symptoms or mild symptoms. Please review the COVID dashboard for updated information.