UK reports 37 COVID-19 cases as students return for fall semester
The University of Kentucky reported 37 cases of COVID-19 on Friday, three days before the start of the fall semester.
Students began moving back to campus this week, and classes begin on Monday, Aug. 23. Friday was the first COVID-19 update since Aug. 11, when 15 cases were reported. This semester, the university will update COVID-19 numbers weekly on Fridays.
The numbers from Friday are up-to-date as of Aug. 18, according to UK’s COVID-19 dashboard.
UK is not requiring students or employees to get the vaccine. However, the university has set a goal of at least 80% of students and employees being fully vaccinated. Currently, 72.5% of returning students, faculty and staff reported they were fully vaccinated. New students have not yet been added to that percentage.
“We continue striving to reach — and to exceed — an 80 percent vaccination rate among our students, faculty and staff,” UK President Eli Capilouto said in an update sent on Friday. “And, we are continuing to make meaningful progress toward that important goal. Just this week, we’ve received thousands of self-reported vaccine documentation from our students. This is incredibly important, as vaccines remain our best defense against COVID-19.”
Students who submit their vaccination documentation to UK can be entered for a chance to win prizes like scholarships, season tickets to football and basketball games and a Keeneland race day experience.
UK is requiring masks to be worn indoors on campus, regardless of someone’s vaccination status.
People who are not vaccinated are required to complete a daily screening for COVID-19 symptoms and exposure, and will also be required to be tested for COVID-19 throughout the semester. Unvaccinated students are required to take a COVID-19 test and submit results to UK before Aug. 27, according to the university’s fall guidebook.
The state of Kentucky has seen a surge in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks. Thursday was the third highest single-day increase in new cases since the pandemic began. On Friday, Fayette County reported 225 new cases of COVID-19.
At a news conference on Thursday, Gov. Andy Beshear warned that hospital capacity is reaching a critical point, and Kentucky will be “out of hospital capacity very, very soon.”