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Here is this week’s update regarding our ongoing College-wide efforts to safeguard the health of our community. Please note important news regarding the ongoing testing clinics and changes to the vaccination schedule.
Vaccination Update
Earlier this week, we sent an email to our community regarding changes to the vaccination-eligibility schedule. Here is the updated schedule as announced by Governor Cooper:
- Beginning on March 31, additional essential workers and people living in other congregate settings such as student dormitories will be eligible for vaccination.
- All North Carolinian adults will be eligible to be vaccinated beginning on April 7.
We will be communicating vaccination opportunities within Guilford County as we receive that information. Getting the safe, effective, and tested COVID-19 vaccine is one of the most important things you can do to protect yourself, keep your family and others who are important to you safe, and move our campus and community toward a greater sense of normalcy. In addition to protecting yourself and your loved ones, as more people get vaccinated, there is less opportunity for new variants of the virus to develop, and more hope that we can end the pandemic.
COVID-19 Testing
We held a testing clinic this week on March 23 . Here are the results:
- Total Tests Administered: 276
- Total Positive Tests: 3
- Total Invalid Tests: 0
- Outstanding Tests: 0
- Positive Test Percentage Rate: 1%
Upcoming Testing
This week we will have on-campus residents, off-campus students, faculty, staff, and campus contractors who are part of Cohort 3. We will rotate through the cohorts in the following schedule:
- Cohort 1 - April 6, April 27
- Cohort 2 - April 13
- Cohort 3 - March 30, April 20
Even if you are not a part of Cohort 3, you may also sign up for testing on any other testing day, if you choose.
**NEW TESTING LOCATION** - We will now be holding our testing in the Carnegie Room in Hege Library.
For those community members who have been fully vaccinated, you are still required to test on your scheduled testing date. While the CDC has come out with guidance for those who are fully vaccinated, that guidance is limited and does not apply to our community structure. The risks of a COVID-19 infection in fully vaccinated people cannot be completely eliminated as long as there is continued community transmission of the virus. Vaccinated people could potentially still get COVID-19 and spread it to others. While we celebrate those vaccinated, we want to take a cautious approach and will require this group to remain in the testing pool.
Important Reminder: Please pre-register before you come to the testing site by texting the word COVID to 704.850.6996 or by going to www.starmed.care and clicking the "Register Now" button. Pre-registration takes about 5 minutes. You will need a photo ID and your medical insurance card to complete the registration. This PCR nasal test is free of charge, covered either by medical insurance or the CARES Act.
Please remain vigilant this next week and do everything you can protect yourself and others while on campus. Please be on the lookout for our next weekly communication on April 2. Please remember that if you have any questions related to COVID-19 and our efforts to mitigate the pandemic on campus, please call the COVID-19 Hotline at 336.316.2319. We are all in this together.