Guilford College issued the following announcement on Dec. 17.
Updates will be shared each Thursday from the Health and Safety Task Force at Guilford as a way of ensuring regular and trusted communication on important topics related to the operations of the College related to COVID-19. In this update, you will find:
- Testing results for Dec. 14
- Important information about the Omicron variant
- Regular and relevant data to understand the health of our community
- Information on the next testing and vaccination opportunities on and off campus
- Information on important phasing and planning related to activities across campus
- Answers to frequently asked questions
Testing Results for Dec. 14
We held a coronavirus testing clinic on Tuesday, Dec. 14. We had 65 tests with no positive results. Two students did report positive tests from off-campus testing over the past two days — both have mild symptoms.
To recap the semester’s worth of testing, there were 6,942 samples collected from early August through Tuesday with 64 individuals testing positive (0.92 percent). Great job, Guilfordians!
If you haven’t been following the news, virus rates are increasing all across the country, including in North Carolina and Guilford County. Despite the relaxation of mask mandates for the county (we still have our mask mandate for campus), we strongly encourage community members to continue to wear masks when in public outside of campus. Vaccinations, social distancing, and mask wearing are the best ways to keep yourself and our community safe.
Important information About the Omicron Variant
You may have seen or heard news about colleges in the northeast, like Cornell, that have had surges in positive cases, in some part due to the Omicron variant. According to Cornell’s COVID-19 Response page, Cornell requires vaccination and encourages the use of masks while indoors. Still, an outbreak occurred. This is just another reason why we ask everyone to continue to practice the three W’s — wash your hands, wait 6 feet apart, and wear your mask.
Important Information About the Omicron Variant
A brief message from Michele Malotky, Professor of Biology and Health and Safety Task Force member:
The emergence of the latest Coronavirus variant, Omicron, has once again raised the alarm, prompting governments to reinstitute travel bans and more rigorous screening protocols and reminding a weary public of the continued importance of practical measures to keep everyone safe—including social distancing, physical barriers (masking), quarantine procedures and vaccination.
So far, analysis of the Omicron variant has revealed a number of mutations that could potentially increase the virus’s transmissibility, infectivity and ability to evade current immune defenses. However, despite the concerns regarding the new variant, all evidence to date strongly supports vaccination as the best defense against infection and severe illness leading to hospitalization.
Viruses require a host in order to reproduce and spread. As long as there are hosts lacking immunity to the virus, it will continue to spread and mutate, potentially giving rise to novel variants that could undermine our attempts to stem the tide of viral contagion.
Finally, the polarizing political rhetoric surrounding vaccination and individual rights and liberties fails to acknowledge that liberty comes with responsibility and our freedoms should not supersede the freedom and safety of others. Please remain vigilant and promote health practices that will keep our community safe.
Wishing you all the best for a safe, happy and healthy holiday break.
Kim Berry and Steve Mencarini, co-chairs
Janet Gould
Suzanne Bartels
Savannah Henry
Maya Chevalier
Kim-Anne Kleimeier
Reacie Daniel
Erickia Elbert
Ryann Fowler
Michele Malotky
Susan Smith
Click here for all COVID-19, Coronavirus updates.
Original source can be found here.
