There are currently four active cases of COVID-19 in our campus community: three students and one employee. All are isolating off campus.
All recorded cases in fall 2021 have exhibited only mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. We are not aware of any COVID-19-related hospitalizations among students, faculty or staff this semester.
As of 8 a.m. today, 96% of students and 77% of employees have provided proof of vaccination. An additional 3% of students have been approved for a medical or religious exemption. These figures exclude students who are taking a fully online course schedule and have no campus presence. Read more here about that calculation.
Click here for instructions on how to upload your vaccination info.
Our testing providers have processed results for 6,666 on-campus COVID-19 tests conducted since Aug. 23, 2021, with a positivity rate of 1.4%. Ulster County’s current testing positivity rate is 2.8%.*
The College is conducting surveillance testing Monday – Friday during the fall 2021 semester. This now includes periodic testing of vaccinated members of our community, to help us detect “breakthrough” cases of COVID-19.
When the Student Health Service receives a student’s positive test result, they begin a proactive contact tracing process to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our community.
First, they direct the student to isolate. Students who live on campus can isolate in Awosting Hall. Then, members of our campus Contact Tracing team interview the student about any close contacts (defined as contacts within six feet for 10 minutes or more) that occurred within 48 hours prior to the positive test result.
Next, contact tracers reach out to each identified close contact. These individuals are notified of the possible exposure and are asked about their symptoms, vaccination status, and whether they have been tested recently. They are given further instructions based on their vaccination status.
In most cases, professors and classmates will not be considered “close contacts” when a student in one of their courses tests positive. Classroom teaching conditions, where everyone is masked and the majority are vaccinated, do not meet CDC definitions for “close contact,” and the College has no known evidence of classroom transmission at any time during the COVID-19 pandemic.
More information about campus Contact Tracing in fall 2021 is available here.
See our FAQs for guidance for unvaccinated and vaccinated people following exposure.
You can find the latest case numbers, testing and vaccination rates at our COVID-19 Dashboard, which is updated Monday – Friday.
This dashboard does not include information about positive cases among students or employees who have no campus presence, as any such cases do not pose an on-campus health risk.
*Ulster County positive test rate is a seven-day average as reported by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC).
