Dear Elmhurst University Community:
This is the weekly update from the COVID-19 Task Force.
Bluejays Get Vaxed
Why should I get the vaccine?
- Getting the COVID-19 vaccine is an effective way to protect yourself from getting COVID-19. Vaccines can help protect you by preventing serious illness, hospitalization and death from COVID-19.
- Getting vaccinated yourself may also protect people around you, particularly people at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
- Getting vaccinated means you add to the number of people in our community who are protected from getting COVID-19—making it harder for the disease to spread and contributing to herd immunity.
- None of the authorized COVID-19 vaccines in the United States contain the live virus. This means that the vaccines cannot infect you with COVID-19, and you will not test positive with a viral test.
- Most people do not experience side effects after vaccination. If you do experience side effects, they are usually mild and go away within a few hours or a few days. Common side effects include pain or swelling at the injection site, headache, chills, fatigue and fever.
- It is the quickest way we can all get back to NORMAL. No more masks and no more physical distancing.
- And the No. 1 reason to get vaccinated: It’s the right thing to do to protect the Elmhurst University community. PROTECT THE NEST!
Testing:
- April 23, 2021: 30 individuals tested using the saliva test: 0 positives
- April 26, 2021: 124 individuals tested using the saliva test: 1 positive
- April 27, 2021: 11 individuals tested using the PCR test: 0 positives
- Elmhurst University has provided over 9,500 tests for faculty, staff, and students.
- Elmhurst University has received 269 reported positive cases of the virus from on-campus (58) and off-campus (211) testing since March 2020.
- To date, 244 students, 18 staff, and 7 faculty have tested positive since March 2020.
Alert Status:
- Elmhurst University remains in the Yellow Alert Level.
- The current positivity rate for DuPage County is 4.9%. This is a decrease from 5.1% last week.
- The current positivity rate for Elmhurst University is 0.0061. This is the same as last week.
Vaccines:
- 47.4% of the population in DuPage County has received a first vaccine dose. This is up from 43.8% last week.
- 33.7% of the population in DuPage County has also received a second dose of the vaccine. This is up from 29.5% last week.
- The Task Force is requesting that as individuals become fully vaccinated, they submit their names to Phil Riordan and/or Dr. Dean Pribbenow. No further information is needed other than your name. This is not mandatory. We are trying to get some idea if people have been successful in getting the vaccine. Thank you to all who have submitted their names.
Today’s Inspirational Quote: “Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.” —Thich Nhat Hanh
Thich Nhat Hanh is a global spiritual leader, poet and peace activist. He is revered around the world for his pioneering teachings on mindfulness.
Today’s Feel-Good Song: Here Comes the Sun, The Beatles
As always, please be safe and healthy. Wear your face mask (double up on face masks for extra protection—the CDC says it can help better protect you). And let’s be kind to each other during these difficult times we live in.
Bluejay Proud,
The COVID-19 Task Force