Early Bird

The latest on Covid-19 and campus operations

All community members are eligible for booster shots at the Health Center at Auraria; updates on the omicron variant.

By Larry Sampler, chief operating officer

December 9, 2021

Dear Roadrunners,

Since last week, health experts have learned a little more about the Omicron Covid-19 variant. To paraphrase Tuesday’s Washington Post article, Omicron has thus far largely evaded the disease-fighting antibodies in the approved Covid-19 vaccines. Essentially, people who previously recovered from Covid-19 could be reinfected, and those who have been vaccinated could suffer breakthrough infections.

However, the article also noted that the Omicron variant may be less severe than previous mutations and that vaccines do provide some protection. Data suggests that booster shots will be an important tool in protecting people from the variant, as “people who had been previously infected and fully vaccinated with two shots of the vaccine retained ‘relatively high’ levels of antibodies protective against Omicron,” according to the Post.

While research is ongoing, health experts also suspect that Omicron may be more transmissible than previous variants. That said, the variant list will continue to grow. Our community is still grappling with the Delta variant, and future variants could pose an even greater threat.

As the virus has more opportunity to mutate within people who are not vaccinated, getting vaccinated and/or boosted is the best way to keep yourself, your loved ones and our larger community safe. In my view, it is the most important step in helping us move past this pandemic.

If you need a booster shot, remember than anyone age 18 or older is now eligible.

If you have not yet been vaccinated, schedule your appointment.

Regardless of your vaccination status, MSU Denver continues to require masking indoors, and all Roadrunners must cover their nose and mouth with masks when they are not actively eating or drinking.

Covid-19 Dashboard Data

As of Monday:

• 99% of MSU Denver employees and 91% of on-campus students are fully vaccinated.
• The University’s weekly positive-test rate is 1.7%, compared with the City and County of Denver rate of 7.8%.

Other items

• The Faculty/Staff Holiday Fest is today, and I look forward to seeing you all there and masked.
• The RTD EcoPass will again be offered for free as a benefit to professional employees throughout 2022.
• Per a recent Public Health Order, the required distance for vaccine-exempt individuals to unmask has increased from 6 feet apart to 12.

Sincerely,

Larry Sampler, vice president for Administration