January 8, 2020
Dear students, faculty, and staff,
I write to you with our weekly update from the COVID-19 Risk Assessment Group.
New Cases at Reed
In the past week, we have identified two new confirmed COVID-19 cases at Reed. Both 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. Reed continues to report all associated COVID-19 cases online, found in the "Total Cases" section of the dashboard.
Reed COVID-19 Policies and Prevention Training
The deadline for completing the new COVID-19 policies and prevention training is TODAY. All members of the Reed community who plan to access campus during the spring semester must complete this new training, even if you completed the COVID-19 training in the fall.
Spring 2021 COVID-19 Acknowledgement of Risk and Prevention Form
We remind students that they must sign a COVID-19 acknowledgement of risk and prevention form by January 25. Students living on campus can sign this form in IRIS with their Kerberos credentials. Students living off campus can sign this form in IRIS with their Kerberos credentials.
Community Members Who Don't Plan to Access Campus in the Spring
If you are a Reed community member who will not access the Reed campus over the spring 2021 semester, please let the college know by completing the No Access to Reed Campus Form.
COVID-19 Testing
All community members who will be accessing campus during the spring semester must sign up for and complete a COVID-19 test prior to returning to on-campus activities. Students who will be living on campus should be tested before they move into on-campus housing. All students will be asked to quarantine until they receive their test results.
COVID-19 Vaccine Updates
The Reed Health and Counseling Center (HCC) has applied to be a vaccine provider through the state of Oregon. If approved, the HCC would receive COVID-19 vaccine directly from the state for distribution. Applications are currently under review.
Following the Oregon COVID-19 Vaccination Plan, healthcare workers are prioritized as the first to receive the vaccine; this includes the HCC staff at Reed College, who will begin receiving the vaccine from approved providers in the coming weeks.
The state of Oregon is working to further outline vaccine distribution plans and provide guidance to organizations. The COVID-19 Risk Assessment Group will continue to consult with the state and the Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission on this, and is currently working to develop a Reed-specific plan for vaccine storage, prioritization, education, and distribution.
State and National Trends
Multnomah County, where Reed College resides, remains in the "Extreme Risk" category, based on local COVID-19 activity data. You can review the risk categories and associated limitations on the State of Oregon's COVID-19 webpage here.
COVID activity across the nation remains elevated, although many states have reported improving trends since peaks in early December. This includes Oregon, which continues to have one of the lowest test positivity rates in the country.
As you prepare for your return to Reed in the coming weeks, please review CDC's guidance on traveling safely. As always, 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.