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Harvard on Monday lowered the pace of testing for affiliates vaccinated in undergraduate housing in response to a decrease in positive Covid-19 tests among undergraduates.
Harvard had increased testing requirements for college housing affiliates at the start of the fall semester due to a increase in cases. At the time, Dean of Students Katherine O’Dair saw the increase in the number of cases as “a turning point.”
Since then, the number of positive cases among undergraduates has steadily declined. In the past seven days, the University has detected two positive cases among undergraduates, up from 71 cases in the week of August 26, according to the University’s Covid-19 dashboard.
In an email to college students sent Monday afternoon, O’Dair and Harvard University’s executive director of health services, Giang T. Nguyen, announced that undergraduate residential affiliates no longer have need to test only twice a week instead of three times a week due to lower number of cases. .
“Through your commitment to behaviors that help us reduce the risk of transmission, the rate of positive COVID-19 cases in our undergraduate population has declined and has remained low,” they wrote.
Students and staff residing in undergraduate housing who are not vaccinated should continue to take the test three times per week.
O’Dair and Nguyen also told affiliates in their email that testing rates are likely to vary as public health conditions on campus continue to change.
“We will continue to adjust testing rates as needed, including if we see an increase in positive cases,” they wrote. “We will also be revisiting the pace of testing at key times, such as after the Thanksgiving vacation, when we know the risk may be higher due to the return of many travelers to campus. “
They urged students to continue to follow Covid-19 protocols, including wearing masks and staying in their suite in case of symptoms.
“While our pace of testing changes given current circumstances, it depends on our continued commitment to behaviors that reduce transmission and contribute to the health and safety of our community,” wrote O’Dair and Nguyen.
Harvard Business School also returned to in-person classes on Monday after moving some online course for a week in response to a Covid outbreak the school attributed to off-campus social gatherings.
The school decided to move online classes for all freshmen and some second year MBA students last week after counting 121 cases among MBA students since July 1, with nearly 60 isolated students. that day, according to an email several HBS administrators wrote. to all MBA students.
During the month of September, HBS students, who make up about 9% of the student body, made up more than two-thirds of total student cases, the statement emailed by administrators noted.
After a brief period of online lessons on Monday, HBS students returned in person to their classrooms.
—Editor Claire H. Guo can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @clairehguo.
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