COVID-19 Dashboard Updates: Positivity Rate Rests at 0.67%

COVID-19 dashboard updates as of Sept. 11.

Screenshot of Marist College's COVID-19 Dashboard. Source: Grace Maeda.

Marist College created a COVID-19 dashboard that is up-to-date with the number of cases at the college.  On August 23, prior to the start of classes, 4,926 students were tested. Only 37 students tested positive, resulting in a 0.75% positivity rate. Since then, all 37 students have been cleared by Marist’s medical team to come to campus. 

Since the start of class, 1,016 students have been tested and only three tested positive. The rate of  post-arrival positive cases is 0.67%. Those three students have since been cleared to come back to campus.

In total, 5,942 students have been tested with a 0.67% positivity rate. 

The college plans on continuously testing students with its surveillance testing, which commenced on Aug. 31. In an email to students on Aug. 28, Vice President of Student Affairs Deborah DeCaprio said, “This program will allow us to monitor the success of our policies in place to prevent COVID-19 spread, and also allow us to react quickly to respond as needed. We all recognize the necessity of making adjustments as we monitor COVID-19 infection on our campus and in our local community.” 

Marist has also implemented a COVID-19 alert system of four different levels, which are based on a set of indicators. The regulations were created in conjunction with the Dutchess County Department of Behavioral and Community Health and New York State. These indicators lead the institution’s decision making and include the number of cases among Marist students, the capacity for quarantine and isolation and local factors in the community regulated by Marist and its medical partners. 

Source: Grace Maeda 21’.

Currently, the Marist COVID-19 alert level is green, indicating there is a low prevalence and controlled transmission. Marist advises students to practice daily precautions such as wearing masks, physical distancing and hand washing. The college will continue to conduct hybrid and online learning, limit capacity at 50% for on-campus spaces, and restrain social gathering to 50 people or fewer. 

The next level alert level is yellow, indicating the prevalence of the virus remains low but there is potential for an increase in transmission. The same everyday precautions are advised and the classes will continue to be hybrid and online. However, surveillance testing will increase and Marist may reduce capacity in on-campus spaces. Social gatherings may be limited by New York State guidelines. 

Code orange will alert the Marist community that rates of infection are increasing and cases surpassed the New York State threshold of 100 cases within a two-week increment. The college will implement a modified two-week quarantine procedure following New York State guidelines. This will move all classes online and suspend non-essential student activities.

Lastly, code red indicates there is a significant increase in cases, even with quarantine and isolation protocols. Similar to an orange alert, classes will be online and essential operations are only permitted on campus. Students on-campus are required to remain in their rooms until it is safe for them to return home. Accommodations will be made for those who cannot safely return to their homes. Students living off campus in Poughkeepsie will be advised to return to their permanent homes.