NIU weekly COVID-19 update: 41 new virus cases

DeKALB – Over the past week, from Nov. 16 through Tuesday, Northern Illinois University reported 41 new cases of COVID-19: three employees and 38 students.

The university also reported 45 recoveries: six employees and 39 students.

Of the remaining 37 active cases on campus, 35 are in students. Since the start of the school year Aug. 19, there have been 310 cases of COVID-19 and 273 recoveries.

According to the school’s website, 94.68% of the quarantine and isolation beds are available.

Surveillance testing is done weekly, on a random selection of students and staff on campus via rapid testing, which allows NIU to locate and identify viral spread more quickly. During the week of Nov. 15, 1,340 surveillance tests were administered, resulting in 22 positive test results. NIU’s positivity rate is 1.64%.

NIU has a total enrollment of 16,769 for the fall semester, which includes undergraduate and graduate students, and 3,694 students living on campus.

As part of NIU’s COVID-19 protocol, all students and employees on campus are required to participate in weekly surveillance testing unless they provide proof of vaccination.

According to Gov. JB Pritzker’s new mandates, all higher education students and staff are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19. NIU had approved a similar mandate, including a required vaccine for students living on campus, before the governor’s announced mandate in late August.

According to university officials, a 14-day quarantine begins after individuals first show signs of COVID-19 symptoms, not when they receive a positive test for the virus. A case is considered recovered after the 14-day period is over.

Although specific surveillance testing results are reported weekly on Mondays, positive tests found through the program are included in daily statistics.

Daily COVID-19 case data from the DeKalb County Health Department might not reflect daily data from NIU because some students or employees may live outside the county and still test positive for the virus.

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