COVID-19 Update from the UMass Public Health Promotion Center: March 3

In an email to the campus community, Ann Becker and Jeffrey Hescock, co-directors of the Public Health Promotion Center (PHPC), described a decline in the campus COVID-19 positivity rate, the continuation of the indoor masking requirement and the availability of a vaccine clinic.

That email is as follows:

Dear Campus Community,

We continue to monitor COVID-19 trends in our community through our symptomatic, adaptive and voluntary testing program as well as wastewater surveillance. The latest COVID-19 testing data for the UMass community from Feb. 23-March 1 shows 64 new positive cases. The university’s positivity rate is 1.88%, compared to last week’s rate of 3.79%. The state’s seven-day positivity rate is 1.85%.  Individuals testing positive continue to report they are experiencing minimal to moderate symptoms of infection, and there are no hospitalizations to report.

We are very encouraged by the overall decline in number of cases and positivity rate for the past two weeks, and we will integrate this trend into our ongoing assessments. Our indoor mask requirement remains in effect.

We continue to hold COVID-19 vaccine clinics two days each week. Vaccine clinics are offered on Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Thursdays from 1 to 4 p.m. through March 10. Walk-ins will be accepted, but we encourage everyone to book an appointment.

Thank you for all you are doing to care for yourselves and one another, and to support the health of our community.

Sincerely,

Co-Directors of the Public Health Promotion Center (PHPC)

Ann Becker, Public Health Director
Jeffrey Hescock, Executive Director of Environmental Health and Safety