Early Bird

The latest on Covid-19 and campus operations

Conflicting data, booster-shot info and upcoming holiday hours for on-campus vaccination and testing sites.

By Larry Sampler, chief operating officer

November 4, 2021

Dear Roadrunners,

Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, Metropolitan State University of Denver’s challenge has been balancing the need to carry out our mission with the imperative to keep our people safe. You may have read that Colorado now ranks fifth in the U.S. for new Covid-19 cases and that Gov. Jared Polis has asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency for assistance with hospital staffing. There was also an article in the Denver Post about local businesses having to enforce mask mandates in the absence of state enforcement and how difficult that can be.

While those stories are certainly relevant to us as residents, they don’t describe our situation at MSU Denver. As the communities surrounding our campus see continued upticks in positivity and hospitalization rates, I want to reiterate that we continue to monitor the data and follow health and safety best practices. And I again thank each of you for doing your part to help keep our community safe by getting the vaccine and the booster shot (if applicable) and by complying with our mask mandate indoors or in gatherings outdoors as well as the other preventive measures we have in place. 

For example:

• More than 20,000 people have been vaccinated through the Health Center at Auraria.  
• Our University vaccination rates are very high, with nearly 90% of students and more than 98% of employees fully vaccinated.    
• On-campus case rates remain minuscule, with a positivity rate of less than 2%.   
• There have been no recorded Covid-19 outbreaks on campus.   
• No-cost testing on campus has helped more quickly identify any cases. 
• We have maintained stringent policies around masking indoors.

I also want to thank you all for doing your part to monitor for symptoms, staying home if you’re feeling sick, testing frequently and wearing a mask, all of which have helped keep our community safe. On behalf of the senior leadership team and the Roadrunners Safe Return Committee, we are grateful for and proud of our entire campus community for its collaboration and diligence to help preserve in-person learning and fostering one another’s health and safety.

Booster shots

As I said last week, cold-and-flu season is upon us. Additionally, gatherings have increased, vaccine efficacy is not 100% and immunity from initial vaccinations is waning. This means unvaccinated individuals are increasingly vulnerable, and in fact they are driving the bulk of the increase in cases, hospitalizations and deaths.

I am happy to report, however, that the Health Center at Auraria’s work to administer vaccine booster shots is progressing well, averaging 120 shots per day. In addition, flu shots have been popular. As of this week, fewer than 500 flu shots remained and more than 500 had already been administered. The Health Center at Auraria is hoping to order an additional 500 flu shots.

If you have not yet scheduled a booster shot and you are eligible to do so, please schedule today.

Holiday testing and vaccination hours

In advance of the upcoming fall and winter holidays, please also be aware of upcoming closures.

Plaza Building Vaccine and Testing Location 

• Closed Nov. 24-26 – Reopens Nov. 29
• Closed Dec. 21-Jan. 2 – Reopens Jan. 3

5th Street Garage Surveillance Testing Location 

• Closed Nov. 25-26 – Reopens Nov. 29
• Closed Dec. 24-Jan. 2 – Reopens Jan. 3

As always, please check out the Safe Return Faculty and Staff Guide, including guidelines around student mask noncompliance.

For any questions not addressed on the website, please contact roadrunnersafereturn@msudenver.edu. Thank you again for your hard work in supporting our safe return to campus.  

Sincerely,    

Larry Sampler    
Vice president for Administration, Finance and Facilities and chief operating officer