February 19, 2020
Dear students, faculty, and staff,
I write to you with our weekly update from the COVID-19 Risk Assessment Group. We have highlighted essential points in yellow.
New Cases at Reed
Since our last update, we have identified two new confirmed COVID-19 cases at Reed. The cases were placed in isolation and a small number of potentially exposed individuals were contacted and quarantined promptly after the college's notification of the positive test results. We continue to report all associated COVID-19 cases online, found in the "Total Cases" section of the dashboard.
Surveillance Testing Changes
Moving forward, COVID-19 surveillance testing will be conducted in the Student Union Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM. If you have not yet signed up for semester testing days/times, you can do so here. If you have previously signed up, your appointments will carry over week to week. Individuals can view, edit, or cancel appointments by logging into their account at www.signupgenius.com.
COVID-19 Vaccine
The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) is managing the distribution of COVID-19 vaccinations throughout the state. The state has developed a tool to assist individuals in assessing eligibility and making a vaccine appointment; to access this tool, visit covidvaccine.oregon.gov, scroll to find the "Vaccine Eligibility & FAQ Tool'' section, and click "Let's Get Started." Regardless of where you usually seek health care, this is the best resource for vaccine information and scheduling.
The COVID-19 Risk Assessment Group and Human Resources continue to closely monitor the status of vaccine rollout across the state. For more information, please visit our COVID-19 vaccine webpage.
Weekly Surveillance Testing Participation
This week, we conducted 760 COVID-19 surveillance tests on campus. Testing numbers are notably lower this week due to the cancellation of surveillance testing Monday-Wednesday as a result of the winter storm and testing center relocation.
As a result of this disruption in testing, we will not be reporting testing participation data this week. We will resume this practice with next Friday's communication.
HCC Reminders
The HCC has both PCR and Rapid COVID testing available for students who are experiencing COVID-19 like symptoms and/or have known documented exposure to someone positive for COVID-19. This testing is available to students living both on and off campus. Contact the HCC at 503-777-7281 for more information. You may also self schedule an appointment with one of our medical providers via the Student Health Portal.
Please help us keep Reed a safe place to live, work, and study by participating in surveillance testing, the weekly risk assessment survey, and, for those both local and remote, all other essential response measures on and off campus.
If you have questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to the COVID-19 Risk Assessment Group at coronavirusquestions@reed.edu.
Sincerely,
Madison Riethman, MPH, CPH
COVID-19 Response Coordinator and Health Project Manager
Health & Counseling Services
Reporting on behalf of the COVID-19 Risk Assessment Group
PS: As a reminder, you can track all our COVID-19 communications to members of the Reed Community here.