Campus Update – Matrix Scoring, Community Expectations
We are showing how Pirates Protect Pirates through increased vaccinations and declining case and positivity rates. The campus positivity rate has been 1% over the past two weeks with an average of 5.3 new cases per day. This daily case rate represents a 40% decline over a seven-day period.
A particular point of Pirate Pride for this update is in student vaccinations that increased by 1,220 over the past two weeks. Employee vaccinations increased by 108 over the same period. The total campus community vaccination rate has now reached 72%. In addition, quarantine and isolation space availability is now consistently above 98% for more than two weeks.
Despite this great effort, our risk level remains ELEVATED with no change in Community Expectations. This risk level is due to insufficient compliance with testing on campus, very high transmissibility rates and insufficient capacity within our local hospital. Unfortunately, about one-third of our unvaccinated students are not getting tested within the prescribed timeframe. Campus transmissibility is very high with nearly 92% of new cases on campus not linked epidemiologically to known cases. Finally, the Vidant Medical Center’s (VMC) capacity remains strained based on available beds, staffing and emergency department wait times.
The Pitt County community data continues to improve with reductions in cases and positivity rate. However, the community remains at elevated risk with a 7.8% positivity rate. The North Carolina positivity rate is now down to 6.7% with cases and hospitalizations declining statewide. While VMC capacity is still strained, hospitalization numbers are also now showing a consistent pattern of decline which is a strong indicator of progress.
Compliance with mask wearing has been good so thank you all for taking on this important responsibility which helps protect our community. Please continue to wear masks indoors, get vaccinated if you are not already and encourage friends and family to get vaccinated. Additionally, encourage friends and coworkers to complete weekly testing as soon as possible after being notified. All these measures are crucial to decreasing transmissibility and campus risk.
Our university has always pulled together during a crisis, and we have risen to the occasion once again through teamwork and perseverance. Let’s keep the momentum going and continue our progress together as One ECU. Stay the course and encourage others to join in the fight.
Thank you, Pirates! You’re doing great.
– Bill Koch, Associate Vice Chancellor, Campus Safety, Co-Chair, COVID Coordination Committee