COVID-19 Data
Our ability to come together for in-person instruction in a congregate-living environment depends on suppressing the spread of COVID-19 in our community. To do so, we made the decision to require COVID vaccinations for our student and employee populations.
We are proud to report that as of August 23, 2021, 91% of students and 95% of employees are fully vaccinated.
Because of this tremendous achievement, we are cautiously optimistic about supressing COVID within our community. We will begin the 2021/22 academic year with daily dashboard updates, and consider reducing their frequency if our data supports it.
Data represents all students, faculty, and staff, and includes results from screening testing, as well as on- and off-campus diagnostic testing with results reported to the Health and Counseling Center. Also included are employee tests conducted off-campus and reported to Human Resources. Student numbers are reported daily; faculty and staff numbers are reported Monday through Friday.
Weekly Reported Data, week of 11-15-2021
Results from testing and isolation/quarantine data from the previous week are reported weekly on Monday.
Screening tests of our unvaccinated student and employee populations are conducted weekly, in addition to NCAA-required screening tests of student athletes. The number of student diagnostic tests and the number of positive results are reported in the week the data become available. For each individual positive case, both an antigen test and a PCR could be administered. As a result, the total number of positive diagnostic tests is often greater than the number of positive cases. On-campus isolation/quarantine data represent students in the Mother Angela Care Center. Off-campus data represents students quarantining or isolating either at home or in off-campus housing. All employee diagnostic tests are conducted off campus, therefore not included in the dashboard.
Regional Data
Saint Mary’s is part of a broader community and as such offers the following links to regional data.
Key Terms
Isolation: For individuals with COVID-like symptoms or positive test results. The length of stay in isolation is 10 days from the onset of symptoms or a positive test. For symptomatic patients, there must also be a demonstrated improvement in symptomatology and no fever for 24 hours in order to be released from isolation
Quarantine: For unvaccinated individuals with identified exposure to an infected individual, the length of stay in quarantine is 8 days from exposure with negative test results and no onset of symptoms.
Exposure: Per guidelines from the CDC and St Joseph County Health Department, any individual who has been in close contact (within 6 feet for more than 15 minutes) with a person who was diagnosed or was likely to have COVID-19 is considered to have been exposed.
Diagnostic Testing: A diagnostic test can show if you have an active coronavirus infection. At Saint Mary’s, we conduct a diagnostic test for any student who is symptomatic, or has been directly exposed to someone with an active COVID-19 infection.
Screening Testing: Screening tests are intended to identify infected people who are asymptomatic and do not have known, suspected, or reported exposure to COVID-19. Screening helps to identify unknown cases so that measures can be taken to prevent further transmission. Individuals who are fully vaccinated do not need to undergo routine COVID-19 screening testing.
Testing Methods:
- PCR: molecular tests that detect the virus's genetic material
- Rapid Antigen: tests that detect specific proteins on the surface of the virus
Moving Average (also known as Rolling Average): A 7-day moving average takes data from the past 7 days, adds them up, and divides it by 7. This provides an average over time, removing peaks and valleys.