Campus sickness rises

CSB/SJU has recently seen an uptick in COVID cases across campus.

On April 9, the CSB/SJU Pandemic Planning Committee sent out an email to students and employees announcing a slight increase in COVID cases and other upper respiratory illnesses. The email said students and employees are encouraged to stay home if they feel ill, get tested and get their booster shots if eligible.

Last month, a steady decline was reported in the daily number of positive student cases on campus, according to the CSB/SJU COVID dashboard.

Now, the new rise in upper respiratory infections and another round of positive COVID tests are serving as a reminder to be mindful as the end of the spring semester approaches. On April 7, there were seven cases of COVID reported. By April 19, they had dropped to two.

“In the past week, we had an increase in upper respiratory infections across the campuses, and this included a small uptick in COVID cases among students. We did not see an uptick with employee cases during this time,” said Casey Gordon, chair of the CSB/SJU Pandemic Planning Committee. “Thankfully, overall symptoms have been less severe than previous strains of COVID. Positive cases declined quickly, and we now have only two current positive student cases as of Saturday, April 16.”

The Pandemic Planning Committee continues to closely monitor the number of COVID cases and watch for trends that may be a cause for concern.

“Our goal right now is to ensure that students are able to safely complete the semester in-person with a full slate of in-person student activities and events. So when we have a small uptick in positive cases, we want to make sure we are considering all the facts when determining a course of action. We watch the rate the number is rising, how many days in a row it has been increasing, the severity of the illness, what’s happening in the local community and in our state, as well as other factors,” Gordon said.

Gordon said that the recent numbers haven’t been a cause for immediate changes to protocols. However, if the numbers continue to rise at a fast rate, the staff will ensure that everything possible is done to prevent positive cases from rising to levels where there is no longer the capacity to handle the number of ill students.

“The positive case counts on the campuses are decreasing right now, so I don’t anticipate any changes at this time. We are all hoping that this will hold true for the rest of the school year. However, COVID has demonstrated that the situation changes rapidly, and we will continue to monitor to make sure we are protecting our communities,” Gordon said.

CSB senior Olivia Solano is feeling hopeful about the remainder of the year. With her graduation date quickly approaching, however, she also notes persistent worries that have been common amid the pandemic.

“A lot of my friends are sick around me, but not all of them have COVID, so it’s just confusing,” Solano said. “How are some people testing positive and some people aren’t? The stress of not knowing if you have COVID or not is ever-present.”

Some students are taking extra precaution during the final weeks of the semester.

“I do think the institution has the responsibility now to react, despite there only being a week left of classes, but a mask mandate needs to be brought back in. COVID is not over despite the fact that we would love to think it is,” CSB junior Anika Lakhan said.

The increase in the number of positive COVID cases has been small, but Gordon emphasizes that it is necessary to continue to be attentive to illness on campus.

“My best piece of advice for students is to stay home when ill. That goes for any upper respiratory infection, not just COVID. Staying home when ill helps to prevent further spread, which helps protect our entire community,” Gordon said.