Updated weekly, our COVID-19 dashboard reflects data from the seven days prior to the most recent page update.
Page last updated: May 16, 2022
New This Week
New Student Cases
New Faculty/Staff Cases
Number of Students in On-Campus Isolation
Puget Sound has 82 isolation spaces.
Percentage of Positive COVID-19 Tests
Percentage of Positive Cases (of Total Population)
Based on a population of 3,000 total students, faculty, and staff.
Campus COVID-19 Mitigation Action Plan
For spring and summer 2022
Working with our public health consultant, Tegria, the university has determined the following thresholds to help guide decision-making about campus operations and activities. These indicators are part of a range of factors influencing our COVID-19 response, including proclamations and guidance issued by Gov. Inslee; Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department guidance and recommendations; contact tracing capacity and effectiveness; access to personal protective equipment (PPE); and other considerations.
Note that certain campus operations and activities may be modified or temporarily suspended due to public health, professional standards, or other external organizational guidance. For example, in addition to university guidelines, the intercollegiate athletics program also abides by Northwest Conference and NCAA guidelines.
COVID-19 Indicators
| Low | Medium | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Count on Campus | 0–14 cases | 15–29 cases | 30 or more cases |
| CDC Community Level | Low | Medium | High |
| Vaccination |
Vaccines provide protection against severe disease 95% or more of campus members are up to date on vaccines |
Vaccines' protection from sever disease may be waning Less than 95% or campus members are up to date on vaccination |
Vaccines are not protective against severe disease or death |
| Operations and Services |
Absenteeism does not cause major impacts on ability to teach and learn No major impact on essential services Isolation housing less than 50% capacity |
Moderate absenteeism in classes due to isolation requirements One or more essential service is impacted Isolation housing is at or approaching more than 50% capacity (single-bed capacity) |
Widespread absenteeism in classes due to isolation requirements Widespread interruptions to essential services Isolation housing is at full capacity; double rooming in isolation required; isolate-in-place protocol may be enacted |
| Testing Availability |
Testing widely available No delay in lab processing times |
Testing availability is limited Lab processing times are slightly delayed |
Testing availability is severely impacted Lab processing times significantly delayed |
| Contact Tracing | Close contacts are notified within 24 hours | Close contacts are notified with 48 hours | Unable to effectively contact trace |
COVID-19 indicator definitions
COVID-19 Mitigations
| Baseline Mitigation | Moderate Mitigation | Increased Mitigation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vaccination | Required for all campus members | Required for all campus members | Required for all campus members |
| Masking | Optional, strongly recommended in indoor group setting |
Universal or targeted masking may be required in indoor settings for those who are up to date on COVID-19 vaccination Masking required for unvaccinated individuals |
Required indoors for all |
| Testing |
Required for unvaccinated individuals Symptomatic testing through CHWS (for students) and MultiCare clinic on campus by appointment |
Required for unvaccinated individuals Weekly randomized 10% asymptomatic testing; focused testing for affected groups Symptomatic testing through CHWS (for students) and MultiCare clinic on campus by appointment |
Screening testing of full campus At-home tests available for pickup at designated locations Symptomatic testing through CHWS (for students) and MultiCare clinic on campus by appointment |
Spring-to-Date Totals (Jan. 3–May 15, 2022)
Total Tests Administered
Positive Cases
Total on-campus and remote cases reported to Counseling, Health, and Wellness Services since Jan. 3: 632
Positivity Rate
Current Student Vaccination Rate
The percentage of current undergraduate and graduate students who have uploaded verification of their primary series COVID-19 vaccinations.
Approved medical or religious exemptions: 1.3%
Faculty/Staff Vaccination Rate
Percentage includes all full- and part-time staff members, including long-term temporary staff members, and all regular faculty members who have uploaded verification of their primary series COVID-19 vaccinations.
Approved medical or religious exemptions: 3.7%
Definitions
Cases
The term "case" is used to refer to a campus member with a positive diagnostic test result for COVID-19.
On Campus and Off Campus
"On campus" refers to a student who lives in a residence hall, or on-campus house.
"Off campus" refers to a student who does not live in residential housing on campus.
Pooled Tests
Asymptomatic testing is being provided using saliva-based PCR pooled testing, which pools saliva samples into groups of 24 and surveys the whole pool for COVID-19. If a pool is "not detected," this means that COVID-19 has not been found in that pool. If a pool is "detected," COVID-19 has been found, but this does not mean that all 24 individuals in the pool are COVID-19 positive. Further processing of the samples making up the pool needs to occur to identify the sample which is positive for COVID-19.
Tests
The number of tests reflect the total number of University of Puget Sound-administered saliva PCR tests for asymptomatic testing, nasal PCR/NAAT tests for students with COVID-19 symptoms administered at CHWS, and antigen tests for students needing additional or alternative testing for reasons such as engagement in athletic competition or due to a prior COVID-19 diagnosis.
COVID-19 Indicator Definitions
Case Count on Campus
New cases on campus reported within a seven-day period (assumes population of 3,000).
CDC Community Level
The combination of the following three metrics to determine the COVID-19 community level:
- New COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 population in the past seven days
- Percent of staffed inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients
- Total new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population in the past seven days
New COVID-19 admissions and the percent of staffed inpatient beds occupied represent the current potential for strain on the health system. Data on new cases acts as an early warning indicator of potential increases in health system strain in the event of a COVID-19 surge. (cdc.gov)
Vaccination
Vaccination rate and effectiveness against severe outcomes for current variant. At this time, vaccination is providing protection against severe disease and hospitalization.
Operational Impact of Cases
Essential services, such as Dining and Event Services; Security Services; Counseling, Health, and Wellness Services; and Facilities Services are experiencing staff shortages which make it difficult to operate effectively.
Isolation Capacity and Staff Support
The isolation residence hall has 42 rooms. We have the ability to double room students for up to 84-bed capacity. When single-bed occupancy is reached (50% capacity), students in single rooms on campus may have to isolate in place if they test positive. Once double-room capacity is reached, all students will need to isolate in place.
Testing Availability
Testing availability refers to testing resources both on campus and in the wider community, such as testing sites and availability of at-home tests.
Additional Information
The health and well-being of the Puget Sound community is of paramount importance as the university navigates the COVID-19 pandemic. University of Puget Sound considers a range of factors in making decisions related to the university’s overall response to COVID-19, including the following:
- Proclamations and guidance issued by Gov. Inslee
- Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department guidance and recommendations
- CDC guidance
- COVID-19 prevalence on campus
- COVID-19 prevalence in Pierce County and across the state and nation
- Availability of testing, including testing material
- Percentage of students in isolation or quarantine on campus and the number of available isolation and quarantine beds
- Percentage of faculty and staff members in isolation or quarantine
- Contact tracing capacity and effectiveness
- Access to personal protective equipment (PPE)
- Effectiveness of a wide range of COVID-19 risk-mitigation protocols
For more information about the university's response to COVID-19, visit pugetsound.edu/coronavirus.
To view information and statistics by county and statewide, visit the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department Coronavirus website and the Washington State Department of Health 2019 Novel Coronavirus Outbreak page.
If you have questions related to this dashboard, please email contacttracing@pugetsound.edu.