STUDENT SENATE RECAP: COVID-19 INFORMATION AND UPCOMING EVENTS

NICOLE HASEK, TRUMPET NEWS & STUDENT SENATE WRITER

Wartburg College Student Senate’s weekly Zoom meeting on Oct. 15 was heavily focused on contact tracing and testing for COVID-19. Ryan Callahan, head athletic trainer at Wartburg-Waverly Sports & Wellness Center, was the guest speaker for this topic. Callahan oversees all contact tracing and testing that is done on campus.

“Contact tracing is probably a phrase that a lot of people weren’t really familiar with prior to before March or April of this year. It’s something we certainly hear a lot about now,” said Callahan. “It’s a mechanism we utilize to stop, or at the very least, limit the spread of COVID-19.”

Callahan gave a detailed look at how Wartburg is containing and trying to eliminate COVID-19 on campus. When a case is confirmed, that person is interviewed in order to trace who they have been in contact with. Those people are then called and questioned to confirm the exposure, and if necessary, tested and placed in quarantine until their results come back. If the test is positive, they are placed in isolation for 10 days, which is the amount of time an infected person is contagious for. Someone with a negative test result will quarantine for 14 days unless they begin showing symptoms of COVID-19.

READ ALSO: CALLAHAN REPRESENTING WARTBURG ON CONFERENCE COVID-19 ACTION TEAM

Roommates of an infected person will be the first contacted, as they have the highest chance of exposure. Any other contact will only be considered for exposure if they were within six feet of the infected person for more than 15 minutes.

Out of 589 tests that have been done on campus, 116 have come back positive. Of these positives, 43 have been tested because they had symptoms and 73 were tested because they were in contact with someone who tested positive. For the past three weeks, Wartburg’s positive cases have been below 10.

Along with contact tracing, Dr. Daniel Kittle, dean of students, mentioned free flu shots that had been given out on Tuesday, Oct. 13 to any student with insurance. Noah Health Clinic will also be providing flu shots upon appointment to students. 

Emma Williams, student body vice president, then announced that there will be a reorder for Outfly shirts coming through The Juice for anyone who did not get one ordered. She will also be helping people who received the wrong shirt or wrong size get the correct item they ordered.

On Friday, Oct. 15, a fall festival will be held on campus, which will include Kastle Kapers Unplugged, pumpkin painting, s’mores and other homecoming activities.  The Asian Student Association will be hosting a henna and chi night in Cardinal Commons from 7 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 23.