WWU Campus Update for Sept. 30: Western’s COVID-19 Testing Dashboard Now Available
Dear Western Community,
Western’s Student Health Center has developed a dashboard showing results of COVID-19 testing of Western students. The dashboard can be found at https://www.wwu.edu/coronavirus.
This abbreviated dashboard now shows figures for COVID-19 testing for Western students, including the number of positive cases and total cases.
As of today, there have been a total of 1,676 students tested and two have tested positive.
All students living on campus were tested upon arrival. Surveillance testing using pooled samples will continue, every two weeks, through the remainder of the quarter. Western’s Student Health Center is using Fraser Hall on the Bellingham campus for COVID-19 testing of students.
Whatcom County Health Department (WCHD) performs any necessary contact tracing, after Western has alerted them to a positive case. Those who have tested positive can anticipate being contacted by the health department. The University isolates or quarantines students living on the main Bellingham campus who have tested positive. Western has dedicated spaces identified for quarantine and isolation for any student living in on-campus housing.
Students who live off campus and need to quarantine or isolate should either shelter in place or return home if it is safe to do so. If neither is possible, the student can reach out to the Whatcom County Health Department (WCHD) for further assistance in locating quarantine or isolation space. Depending on the situation, the University also may be able to offer on-campus designated isolation or quarantine space to off-campus students. In addition, the WCHD will be checking in with any student in isolation or quarantine daily to assess the student’s specific needs. The Student Health Center will also be available to provide medical care as needed.
In the near future, the dashboard will be expanded to provide additional metrics of COVID related conditions that impact our campus community. Also, a link to the dashboard will be available on a daily basis in Western Today
Here are a few reminders for students as they prepare to come on campus:
- Practice the 3 W’s - Wear a mask. Wash your hands. Watch your distance.
- Check your health status with the daily symptom checker at MyWesternHealth.wwu.edu.
- Prepare to receive COVID tests every two weeks at our new on-campus testing facility.
- Join your friends outdoors and in small groups of five or fewer.
- Be prepared to share your green QR badge on your phone to professors if they request to see your green attestation and testing date status.
For more details, please go to https://www.wwu.edu/fall-guide, https://www.wwu.edu/fall-guide/health-safety and https://www.wwu.edu/coronavirus.
Sincerely,
Dr. Sislena Ledbetter, Executive Director, WWU Counseling, Health, and Wellness Services
Dr. David Hansen, WWU Associate Medical Director
The Incident Command System team at Western has established three goals for all of our preparation and response to COVID-19: to protect life safety and minimize the spread of the coronavirus illness, to maintain – as much as possible – the continuity of Western’s operations, and to communicate with our communities as fully as possible.
Western's coronavirus information website features Frequently Asked Questions; has links to campus, regional and national resources; an archive of campus messaging and media stories about coronavirus; a new toll-free campus coronavirus information line, and more. The site is a living document, and will get frequent updates as the coronavirus situation evolves.