Dear Roadrunners,
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recommended a fourth dose of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines for people aged 50 and older and a fifth dose for individuals who are immunocompromised. People over 50 may now receive a fourth dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines at least four months after their third dose, and Colorado COVID-19 vaccine providers are authorized to administer those doses now. According to the CDC announcement, there are more than 1 million adults 50 and older in Colorado who have received a third dose who are able to get a fourth dose. As always, if people are unsure if they should be getting a second booster shot, they can contact the Health Center at Auraria for assistance.
As I’ve said many times before, vaccines are the safest, most effective way to slow the spread of Covid-19 and its variants and to help avoid the worst outcomes (severe illness, hospitalization, and death) among those who do become infected. Coloradans who get a third (booster) dose are nine times less likely to be hospitalized with Covid-19 and nearly 16 times less likely to die from Covid-19 than those who are unvaccinated.
Local data
As of Wednesday, 80.2% of Denver residents are fully vaccinated. Additionally, 48.9% of residents aged 12 years and older are boosted. Approximately 12.4% remain unvaccinated, and the remainder have received at least one vaccine shot.
Covid-19 case positivity in Denver has fluctuated between 2.5% and almost 5% in recent weeks. This has not translated into an increase in hospitalizations, and incidence has essentially plateaued at around 50 cases per 100,000 for the past three weeks.
According to our experts at the Health Center at Auraria, the BA.2 variant may be causing the Omicron wave to retreat a bit more slowly, but we’re not seeing rising cases nationally. It is possible for people to get re-infected with BA.2 if they had the original Omicron variant, but we haven’t seen that in Denver yet. As always, we’re keeping a close eye on cases as people are returning from spring break and increased international/domestic travel.
If you get sick
As guidance on quarantine and isolation has been confusing, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently updated its Quarantine and Isolation Calculator for clarity around when to stay home, recommendations for specific settings and managing ongoing exposure.
If you are exposed or test positive for Covid-19, please refer to the Quarantine and Isolation Calculator.
Stay tuned
Considering these trends and data, MSU Denver will continue to seek guidance from local, state and federal public-health officials. Should the situation continue to stabilize and improve, the University will review current protocols and policies and consider next steps. Conversely, should the Covid-19 situation worsen locally, MSU Denver may need to reinstate certain health and safety protocols at any time. All changes will be clearly and promptly communicated to the University community.
For now, thank you all for acting respectfully and responsibly by continuing to carry a mask with you and to mask when asked.
Other reminders and resources:
- Access free home Covid-19 tests.
- Get your Covid-19 vaccine booster. If you have not already, please get your booster as soon as possible at the Health Center at Auraria or one of more than 1,000 other providers across the state.
- Take the Auraria Higher Education Center safety survey.
- See the U.S. government’s National Covid-19 Preparedness Plan, which serves as the road map to fight the virus in the future as we return to more normal routines and includes information on the new “test and treat” initiative.
- Please plan to attend the Spring Update on April 6.
- If you have not yet completed the mandatory annual security awareness training, please do so as soon as possible. The link to EverFi’s training is here: EverFi Training.
Sincerely,
Larry Sampler
Vice president for Administration, Finance and Facilities and chief operating officer
Roadrunners Safe Return Committee