Auburn University saw only seven self-reported COVID-19 cases between April 12-18, under half of the reported number from the previous week. All seven cases occurred on Auburn’s main campus and were reports from student, staff, and other faculty members.
There were 427 COVID tests conducted through the University’s sentinel testing program from April 12-18 which returned with a 0.2% overall positivity rate. The previous three weeks had seen the same results in terms of positivity.
For the week of April 12-18, an average of 1.5 students were in quarantine housing, while an average of 0.5 students were being placed in isolation housing. In the previous four weeks, an average of zero students were in quarantine housing, with isolation numbers fluctuating.
The University is currently in phase 2 of its vaccine distribution plan, announcing in a campus-wide email on April 15 that it was opening eligibility to all students. Students are no longer be required to meet criteria such as holding an on-campus job position or being involved an off-campus internship with direct contact with others.
As of April 20, Auburn University has received 19,750 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Of these, 7,067 first doses have been administered, while 6,192 second doses have been given.
The Auburn University Medical Clinic took a total of 162 COVID-19 tests with 10 of those returning as positive, or a 6.17% positivity rate. The clinic received 1,879 calls from April 12-18.
Dr. Fred Kam, director of the Med Clinic, released his last COVID update before the summer begins.
“This semester has gone better,” Kam said. “We are in good shape right now.”
As graduation approaches and relatives travel to Auburn to see their loved ones, Kam encouraged people to continue to distance themselves from others, sanitize their hands, and wear a mask whenever possible- whether indoors or outdoors.
“With or without the vaccine, there will be some vulnerable people,” he said.
While things for Lee County and its surrounding areas are looking up, Kam said that this is not true across the entire country nor outside the United States. He advised the people of Auburn to take precautions when traveling and to be cognizant of when they will be leaving and returning. Upon return from any trip, he suggested quarantining and being tested if necessary.
“You can inadvertently bring back a strain that is not in the Auburn-Lee County area and start out a whole new spike,” Kam said.
In anticipating the fall semester, Kam expects the virus will still be present, masks will more than likely still be required and new variants will have entered the community. These variants would likely change the transmissibility of the virus, he said. However, he also expects that more people will be vaccinated at that time.
The Auburn University Medical Clinic currently offers doses of Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson and Johnson, which has been unpaused. People can select which vaccine to receive based on the time and date of which they register an appointment. Vaccinations will resume following the week of finals.
“If you have not gotten the vaccine and you are ready to get the vaccine, regardless of what your phase or status is, please fill out an interest form and we can make that happen throughout the entire summer,” Kam said.
Those seeking more information or who have questions regarding COVID-19 in Auburn are encouraged to visit the University's COVID-19 Resource Center at https://auburn.edu/covid-resource-center/tracking/.
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Emery Lay, junior in journalism, is a lifestyle writer at The Auburn Plainsman.
