AMHERST — A total of 100 new COVID-19 cases have been diagnosed among students, faculty and staff at the University of Massachusetts over the past week, but none of those people are hospitalized, according to data released Thursday.
In the updated COVID-19 dashboard, covering tests administered from Sept. 15 through Sept. 21, 34 on-campus students, 57 off-campus students and nine faculty and staff tested positive for COVID-19 infections.
Those numbers represented a steep decline from the same period a week earlier when the university reported 380 positive tests. Similarly, the test positivity rate saw a major drop, to 1.27% of the 7,899 tests administered. The previous week, 9,082 tests were done and the positivity rate was at 4.18 %.
“We are encouraged by the trends of the past week,” wrote Ann Becker and Jeff Hescock, co-directors of the Public Health Promotion Center, in a letter to the community that accompanied the latest report. “Positive cases continue to be predominately among undergraduate students connected to unmasked social activities. We do not see any spread in academic settings. Most cases continue to be of short duration resulting in mild-to-moderate illness.”
UMass also launched adaptive testing this past week, meaning some selected students would undergo additional testing so the center can monitor community transmission trends.
Meantime, the town of Amherst has 145 active cases, down from more than 300 a week earlier, though the 14-day average incidence rate of 63.9 cases per 100,000 residents remains the fourth highest in the state, only behind Sandisfield and Otis in Berkshire County and New Salem in Franklin County.
A good portion of the UMass cases likely is included in Amherst’s case count, though off-campus students and faculty and staff who don’t live in town are counted elsewhere.
The latest dashboard from Amherst College shows that no students and faculty tested positive in the past week, with the only two active COVID-19 cases being among staff members, with a positivity rate of .05%. No new positives were uncovered at Hampshire College, where there have been five COVID-19 cases in September.
Amherst Town Manager Paul Bockelman said this week that the fall semester was expected to be challenging from both public safety and public health standpoints, with what are essentially two new classes getting acclimated to life on and off the UMass campus.
The mild weather this month has meant that many outdoor parties are taking place, though that can help reduce the likelihood of the spread of illness, even with larger gatherings.
Bockelman said the town is having conversations with landlords about issuing reminders to their tenants about ways they can stay safe.
“We’ve also talked to the university about sending a stronger message about social distancing,” Bockelman said.
In the latest letter from Becker and Hescock, they write that “now is not the time to let our guard down. We must remain vigilant and consistently follow important protocols including wearing masks indoors and while outdoors when social distancing is not possible.”
At UMass, free COVID-19 testing remains available and vaccine appointments can be made for the small percentage of students, faculty and staff not yet fully vaccinated. UMass will also begin flu vaccine clinics Sept. 30.
The town is restarting its COVID-19 vaccine clinics, to be held every Thursday from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Bangs Community Center, with the one-dose Johnson & Johnson or the two-dose Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
