Campus Update – Matrix Scoring, Community Expectations

Thank you for your continued efforts helping to keep our campus safe. While we remain at an ELEVATED risk level, our collective efforts are beginning to make a notable difference. We are making progress but more is required, and we must continue to work together to be successful. 

The weekly COVID matrix analysis and scoring on Friday resulted in no change in risk level or Community Expectations. Campus remains at elevated risk, despite some improvement last week in campus case numbers, positivity rate and on-campus quarantine/isolation space availability. We continue to be concerned with high case rates and transmissibility on campus, as well as our local hospital capacity.  

Although campus remains at an elevated risk, we appear to be moving in a better direction. Case rates have been increasing since the start of the semester but are now beginning to decline. Positivity rates have decreased from greater than 12% to 7% over the past seven days to now 4-5% in the last few days. Pitt County and North Carolina have positivity rates of 12%. Fortunately, their case rates are beginning to decline. The risk level for Pitt County is MODERATE. ECU has remained at a HIGH/VERY HIGH level with recent improvement. Our on-campus quarantine/isolation space has plenty of capacity with only 15% of rooms occupied, down from 19% last week.  

Campus surveillance testing increased by 39% over the prior week. Typical weekday testing rates have increased from 400-500 tests per day at the beginning of the semester to 700-800 or more in the last two weeks. Student Health Services contracted with a testing vendor that has been used successfully at other UNC campuses. The vendor is scheduled to start testing next week. This additional resource will further increase testing capacity so all unvaccinated students (residents and off-campus) will be tested weekly. Testing of unvaccinated employees will begin as well. 

This is not the time to let up but to stay the course and continue to encourage proper mask wearing indoors and increasing our vaccine rates in our student and employee populations. Our community vaccination rate is now more than 60% with student vaccination rates increasing from 41% to 56% since the start of the semester. Mask compliance improved this week with the Dean of Students Office, ECU Police and faculty working together in classrooms to communicate to students the importance of proper mask wearing. 

Model projections conducted by Johns Hopkins University and other experts, together with the experience of the Delta variant in the UK, make it clear that higher vaccine rates and continued mask wearing are key to a steeper case decline and faster return to normal. Higher vaccine rates will also prepare us better for any resurgence in the winter. 

Today’s dashboard numbers show significant reductions in case rates that will continue with your help. Thank you for your patience and resolve. 

– Bill Koch, Associate Vice Chancellor, Co-Chair, COVID Coordination Committee, Campus Safety & Auxiliary Services