This is Bwog’s Weekly Roundup of how COVID is progressing at the Columbia community.

At Columbia

This week, there were 7052 tests conducted with 21 tests coming back for a 0.30% positivity rate. The positivity rate is slightly down from 0.31% two weeks ago. There were 960 more tests conducted this week compared to the week of February 15th. 36 people are in isolation, 69 are in quarantine, and 2 are hospitalized. This week’s positivity rate is slightly lower than the cumulative positivity rate (0.40%).

Of the 5587 tests conducted at the Morningside, Manhattanville, and Lamont-Doherty campuses, 0.27% of students are positive and 0.49% of faculty and staff are positive. Of the 1465 tests done at the CUIMC campus, 0% of students are positive and 0.44% of faculty and staff are positive.

Since June 22, 2020, Columbia has conducted 175,039 tests with 704 being positive for a 0.40% positivity rate

At Barnard

This week, there were 1954 tests conducted with 4 tests coming back positive for a 0.18% positivity rate. The positivity rate is up from 0.08% the week of February 15th. There were 652 less tests conducted this week compared to two weeks ago. 9 people are in isolation and 16 are in quarantine.

Since August 8th, 2020, Barnard has conducted 33,209 tests with 77 being positive for a 0.23% positivity rate.

In NYC

The FDA has approved the Johnson & Johnson/ Janssen vaccine! Healthcare workers, people 65 and older, and essential and at-risk New Yorkers are now eligible to receive the vaccine. Starting Wednesday, residents age 60 and older, as well as teachers, can be vaccinated at non-pharmacy locations. From March 17th, “public-facing government and nonprofit workers and public-facing essential building workers” will become eligible. In New York State, 3,746,905 residents (19.3% of the population) have received one dose of the vaccine, and 1,893,801 residents (9.7% of the population) are fully vaccinated. In New York City, 16.5% of the population has received one dose and 7.9% are fully vaccinated. New CDC states that those who are vaccinated can gather maskless indoors. President Joe Biden has promised vaccines for all US adults by the end of May, which is two months earlier than initially expected.

New York City is continuing to open up. Indoor dining capacity was increased to 35% on Friday, February 26th, and theaters and billiard/ pool halls can open on Friday, March 5th. Bars, restaurants, and fitness centers are to close from 10 pm to 5 am every day. Theaters are limited to 25% capacity or no more than 50 people per screen and assigned seating will be required, which brings NYC theaters to be in line with New York state theaters. Billiard halls are restricted to 35% capacity in the city. Masks are required in all venues unless eating or drinking. On March 22nd, 488 public NYC high schools will reopen, however, according to the New York Times, only around a third of all city students will be attending in-person classes, while the other 700,000 will continue remotely. Currently, New Yorkers are expected to maintain 6 feet of distance or wear a face-covering/ mask when this is not possible, like on public transportation. As of Friday, November 13th, private indoor and or outdoor gatherings of 10+ people are not allowed.

Alma Loves Vaccines via Bwog Archives