COVID-19 campus updates: March 18 edition

Through the spring semester, campus officials are providing weekly updates through CU Boulder Today and weekly Campus Q&As.

Boulder County remains in Level Yellow: Concern

Boulder County shifted to Level Yellow: Concern on the COVID-19 state dial on Saturday, Feb. 6. At this level, a personal gathering is limited to a maximum of 10 people from no more than two households. Learn more about what Level Yellow: Concern means for your campus experience.

Next vaccine eligibility phase begins March 19

The state announced phase 1B.4 in the vaccine distribution plan begins Friday, March 19. See the full COVID-19 vaccine distribution table for information about the state phases. 

• Phase 1B.4 includes student-facing employees in higher education.
• As of March 17, 8,369 faculty, staff and students have signed up for 1B.4 through the CU COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility and Status Update Form.
• The timing of having vaccines available for affiliates eligible in 1B.4 remains uncertain and dependent upon weekly vaccine allotments the campus receives from the state.
  • Vaccine allotments received by CU Boulder began at 100 doses a week and gradually increased. This week, the university received 1,170 vaccines to administer. CU Boulder Medical Services will continue to prepare for increased availability and administration of the COVID-19 vaccine.
• Read more on the COVID-19 Vaccination Options webpage to understand what it means to be a student-facing employee. There is an option on the COVID-19 sign-up form to indicate you are a student-facing employee. Completion of the form is based on self-disclosure and includes a self-attestation where you certify that the information you provide is true and correct.

COVID-19 vaccine sign-up form

Students, faculty and staff interested in receiving the COVID-19 vaccine through CU Boulder can sign up using the CU Boulder COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility and Status Update Form. The form must be completed to be added to the campus vaccine eligibility list.

• As of March 17, 19,668 faculty, staff and students have completed the form.
• As of March 17, 774 faculty, staff and students have been fully vaccinated through CU Boulder.

Appointment availability, process

When a vaccine shipment is received, eligible CU Boulder faculty, staff and students will be notified through their colorado.edu email account.The number of eligible individuals that will receive an invitation to schedule an appointment will be based on the total number of vaccines received for that week. Vaccine appointments at CU Boulder are limited and are on a first-come, first-served basis.

• Those who are unable to make an appointment during the allotted time frame or who miss/cancel their appointment will need to wait for the next vaccine availability.
• Once you receive an initial notification to make an appointment, you will continue to be automatically notified each time vaccines arrive at CU Boulder until you receive a vaccine or you opt out of being notified about vaccines through the COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility and Status Update Form.

Contact tracing update on case numbers, transmission info

CU Boulder’s contact tracing team handles case investigation and contact tracing for COVID-19 cases among CU affiliates. They investigate cases from diagnostic testing completed at the Public Health Clinic through CU Medical Services and from cases referred to CU by Boulder County Public Health if an affiliate uses a community testing site.

• Based on more than 2,200 cases since August 2020, investigations conducted by campus case investigators have not identified a known case of COVID-19 transmission in a classroom or lab at CU.
• The number of known COVID-19 cases involving CU affiliates have been decreasing during the spring 2021 semester. Please note, these figures will differ from the CU dashboard because the contact tracing team receives case referrals from community testing sites.
  • January 2021: 320 cases
  • February 2021: 251 cases
  • March 1-17, 2021: 143 cases
• The primary COVID-19 exposures in the investigated cases are small personal gatherings with family and friends and traveling. Cases show the majority of infected individuals gathered with friends and family for meals, birthday parties, holiday gatherings, road trips, vacation and other personal events.
• At this time, fewer than five cases investigated thus far in March 2021 involved someone who was present at the March 6 riot on University Hill.

Faculty, staff and students with questions about potential exposures or quarantine guidance can email contacttracing@colorado.edu or call the contact tracing team at (303) 735-0017.

Find your study spot

• Visit the Find Your Study Spot webpage to see more about spaces available to reserve for studying or eating. Bookable rooms also have posters outside the door with links directly to the CU Boulder Room Scheduling tool.

Campus affiliates can sign in with their IdentiKey and password and no longer have to wait for account approval. Get detailed instructions for scheduling a space with the room scheduling tool.

Monitoring testing hours and locations

The monitoring testing sites at Kittredge Central, the Sustainability Energy & Environment Community (SEEC), Village Center, University Memorial Center (UMC) and Rec Center are open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday.

• Village Center and Community Commons
• Kittredge Central (Room S163)
• University Memorial Center (UMC)
• Rec Center
• Sustainability, Energy & Environment Community (SEEC)  

All testing sites add a sanitation station

A sanitation station has been added to each of the monitoring testing sites, including the mobile testing site, to offer participants a place on site for hand washing. These stations are foot pedal-operated as an added sanitation benefit.

Mobile testing site hours and locations

In addition to the sites across campus, students, staff and faculty with a Buff OneCard can complete their COVID-19 monitoring test at a mobile testing unit. Mobile site locations and hours of operation:

• March 10–19: The mobile site will be set up at the Pleasant Street location (on Pleasant Street just east of Broadway and between Hale Science and the Koenig Alumni Center), Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 
• March 22 onward for the spring 2021 semester:
  • Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Pleasant Street. 
  • Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Athens North, 1855 Athens St., in parking lot 131.
• Severe weather conditions may require temporary delays or closures of the mobile testing site.

Mobile testing site temporarily offers community testing

In response to concerns about the spread of COVID-19 following the March 6 riot on University Hill, CU Boulder is offering COVID-19 monitoring tests to members of the community. The free community testing will be available at the mobile testing site through tomorrow, Friday, March 19. 

While open to anybody, the testing option is intended for anyone who lives in the University Hill area, was present during the large gathering or feels at risk of getting COVID-19 due to what occurred. The mobile site can accommodate up to 375 tests per day for community members.

• March 10–19: The mobile site will be set up at the Pleasant Street location (on Pleasant Street just east of Broadway and between Hale Science and the Koenig Alumni Center), Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Monitoring testing requirement continues for students in residence halls

• On-campus residents continue to be required to complete a monitoring test weekly.
• If an on-campus resident does not complete their required weekly test, they will begin to receive notifications regarding potential consequences.

Campus Q&As

• The Campus Q&As are held at noon each Tuesday and continue throughout the spring semester. On March 23, the session will focus on questions from faculty and staff.