If you have some anxiety about the start of classes at the University of Utah on August 23rd, you are not alone. I have been working on campus since sometime in April. It's been pretty quiet, everyone I interact with is vaccinated, and until a few week ago, case counts were quite low. In May and even June I wasn't very concerned about requirements imposed on us by the State Legislature to teach 75% in person, not require vaccinations, and not mandate masks. I was hopeful for a return to something close to normal, if we weren't thrown a curve ball.
However, that curve ball has come in the form of a significant population that has elected not to get vaccinated and the more contagious delta variant. Earlier this week, Dr. Micheal Good, CEO of University of Utah Health and acting President of the University of Utah, provided the update below, illustrating some of the trends in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths.
I have been developing some classroom hesitancy as the start of classes approaches. The classroom I teach in will be fully subscribed with students, who will be sitting elbow to elbow in a poorly ventilated interior room.
I recognize that my vaccination status greatly reduces the risk of serious illness, but I wonder what might be coming down the pike for future variants and I'm concerned about students in my class who may have a greater health risk than I.
The reality is that we are all in this together. As emphasized by University of Utah leadership in their message to campus community a few days ago, we need your help to stop the spread.
Get a COVID-19 vaccination if you have not already done so. If you are not vaccinated, get weekly asymptomatic coronavirus tests. Please follow CDC guidelines regarding face masks, which now call for everyone to wear face masks indoors. Although I had given up on mask wearing a few weeks ago, I am back in the habit again.
We have all the tools needed to make this a safe semester. Let's make it happen!
This post rings more of us-vs-them politics than fact-based, analytical science. "Be good and do as CNN says". The weather posts are better,imo.
ReplyDeleteAs a student who is scheduled to be in this same classroom for over 5 hours a week, I'm glad to know that health and safety are a priority. The fact is that this is not over yet. Someone who gets sick won't be thinking much about the weather. In such a rapidly evolving situation, the most conservative approach for mitigating risk is to take advantage of available vaccines and to continue mask wearing. Weren't people hoping for a vaccine just a year ago? This is the same message which local, state, and national level public health experts have been sharing.
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