Duke reports 2 COVID clusters involving med students and women’s field hockey team
Duke University has identified two clusters of COVID-19 cases among students who attended gatherings over the past week.
A cluster is defined as five or more related cases.
Duke’s first cluster included 29 Duke medical students. The second involved seven members of Duke women’s field hockey team, all of whom tested positive after gatherings in various places around Durham.
In both clusters, all students involved were vaccinated and most have reported no symptoms, Duke said in a press release. The rest reported mild symptoms such as headache and nasal congestion.
Students who test positive for COVID-19 will have to isolate for 10 days. Contact tracers have identified others who may have had close contact with the infected students, and they’ll be tested over the next week.
Duke students and employees are asked to wear masks inside buildings on- and off-campus, consistent with university and guidelines from Durham city and county leaders. They also are asked to avoid indoor dining.
UNC reported first cluster of fall semester
The first cluster of cases on a Triangle campus this fall was reported a week before classes started at UNC-CH and the day before thousands of students moved in. It involved people who attended an event at the Eshelman School of Pharmacy.
UNC-CH Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz has said the university expects to have positive cases on campus, including among those who are fully vaccinated. However, UNC-CH and other UNC System schools plan to forge ahead with in-person operations, with masks required on campus and regular testing for unvaccinated students.
UNC System campuses, including UNC-CH and N.C. State, do not require students or employees to be vaccinated.
All Duke students were required to show proof of vaccination this fall, except for those with medical or religious exemptions. About 90% of employees are vaccinated. Duke is also conducting surveillance testing of all students, more frequently for those who are not vaccinated.
More information about the steps Duke is taking to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 is on the Duke United website.
This story was originally published August 13, 2021 at 11:40 AM with the headline "Duke reports 2 COVID clusters involving med students and women’s field hockey team."
