Dear Truman Community:

Spring break is a time of rest, relaxation, and rejuvenation.  During a pandemic, it must also be a time of regard – regard for one’s own health and the health of others and regard for the very important and impactful experiences that will happen after spring break.

Over 900 seniors will be completing their undergraduate collegiate experience; hundreds of musicians, vocalists, and actors will be performing; hundreds of student-athletes will be competing; and thousands of students will be engaging in meaningful in-person curricular and co-curricular experiences that cannot be replicated virtually.

Please do not let them down by making choices that put our community at risk.  It takes each and every one of us remaining vigilant in our own COVID-19 mitigation behaviors to ensure we have a fantastic second half of our semester.  Let’s do it for each other!

Have a wonderful and safe spring break,

Susan L. Thomas, Ph.D.
President
200 McClain Hall
100 E. Normal Avenue
Kirksville, MO 63501
(660) 785-4100
www.truman.edu

 

 

Dear Truman Community,

This week’s numbers continue to be promising, especially considering that some of the 14 active cases are carryovers from the previous week. Of course, we know that 14 is still too many, and we encourage everyone to keep being vigilant, using as many layers of “Swiss Cheese” as you can. Please do continue planning thoughtfully for the upcoming spring break, to keep our campus safe as well as wherever you might be going. With the relatively nice weather this week, consider going outside for at least a bit if you can.

Here’s a six-minute video walking through the numbers and other details:

We have heard worries about people in the academic buildings over the weekend and evenings who are not wearing masks. While the risk is lower when the buildings are less full, please do continue to follow the rule to always wear masks in the public spaces of academic buildings. We are glad that we have been able to keep these buildings open, and we want to keep it that way.

Adair County has two vaccine clinics this week, one for first doses and one for second doses, and we think that all spots there are filled. If you are scheduled this week, please make sure you know when and where to go. More hopeful is that other providers continue to ramp up their vaccine offerings, including Hy-Vee and the Ambulance District (form the hospital) with more on the way, including Wal-mart and others.

As reported in the paper and on KTVO, Hy-Vee and some other provider will occasionally have doses that they need to administer quickly. If you are in a group that is eligible for the vaccine, please consider signing up soon, even if you were waiting to let other people go ahead. Please also help friends and neighbors who may need a hand signing up through the various online portals.

We have also heard reports that in some cases, providers have surplus doses that they will give to those not yet in the eligible tier. You might check with those providers to see if you can “sneak into” line. While this is “cheating the system,” the bigger problem would be wasting doses that expire before they can be administered. We are going to be trying to get on these waitlists ourselves this week, so we may have a story to tell next week.

We continue to recommend that you get the vaccine as soon as you are able, and that you not worry too much about which brand you get, nor care about which provider is administering the vaccine. If someone with a needleful of vaccine is willing to stick it in your arm, our advice is to let them.

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Although we aim these videos and sheets for faculty and staff, please do share this information or the video with students in your classes, with parents, and elsewhere. This information is shared with all students via Blackboard page, sent directly to all Truman faculty and staff, and shared on our public web page:

https://www.truman.edu/coronavirus/covid-19-working-group-videos/

If you have questions or topics you’d like to know more about, please contact us at: ndmoore@truman.edu

-Faculty Senate COVID-19 Working Group
Nancy Daley-Moore, PhD, Health Science
Christine Harker, PhD, English
Scott Alberts, PhD, Statistics

Dear Faculty and Staff,

This week’s numbers are better, no doubt about it. County (and national) numbers have also been down.

Testing was also down (among other things, it’s been really cold), so we worry a bit that some of the reduction is artificial, but we still hope we can keep moving in the right direction. It’s not a sign to relax, though, so keep doing what you can: masks, social distance, and all the other layers that you can.

With Spring Break looming, now is the time to make a plan. If you are planning to travel at all, we hope you work to minimize your risk, to yourself and others. Doing a 5-7 day self-quarantine is recommended, before and after, as well as a COVID Test a couple of days before you leave. Talk to your family and people you might be spending time with to make sure you all understand the risks and ways to mitigate those risks. Professors are encouraged to do what you can to help students make these kinds of choices, which could involve alternate ways of giving midterms, but also just “keeping the Zoom on” for those in self-quarantine.

Here’s a 9-minute video walking us through the numbers and concerns about spring break.

The vaccine clinic for the county this week was again cancelled due to the cold weather. On the plus side, we know that new vaccine providers will be up and running soon (including the Kirksville Walmart), and we’re somewhat hopeful that opportunities will continue to expand. Those in the higher priority groups are still encouraged to call the hospital or the county to get on the list.

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Although we aim these videos and sheets for faculty and staff, please do share this information or the video with students in your classes, with parents, and elsewhere. This information is shared with all students via Blackboard page and sent directly to all Truman faculty and staff, and shared on our public web page here:

https://www.truman.edu/coronavirus/covid-19-working-group-videos/

If you have questions or topics you’d like to know more about, please contact us at: ndmoore@truman.edu

-Faculty Senate COVID-19 Working Group
Nancy Daley-Moore, PhD, Health Science
Christine Harker, PhD, English
Scott Alberts, PhD, Statistics

Dear Faculty and Staff,

Our numbers have come down, which is good news. Let’s hope we can keep it up.

We’re still worried about cases from Super Bowl parties from last weekend.

We also worry that we see people choosing to do risky things more often – eat at restaurants, or have people over in a small space. Even if each activity only has a small risk, you really want to think about how many risks you are willing to take. The more infective variant has been found in the region, so things that were somewhat risky before become more risky now. They add up. Think twice about what you’re doing, and how often you’re doing it.

While many cases are asymptomatic or mild, we keep learning more about the long-term effects of this novel virus, and we just don’t know what all that means.

Here’s a six-minute video where we talk about it.

The vaccine drive-thru for the county today was cancelled due to the cold weather, which is a bummer, but it’s pretty understandable.  We still don’t know when the vaccine will be widely available for those of us on campus, but we continue to encourage you to get vaccinated as soon as you can.

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Although we aim these videos and sheets for faculty and staff, please do share this information or the video with students in your classes, with parents, and elsewhere. This information is shared with all students via Blackboard page and sent directly to all Truman faculty and staff, and shared on our public web page here:

https://www.truman.edu/coronavirus/covid-19-working-group-videos/

If you have questions or topics you’d like to know more about, please contact us at: ndmoore@truman.edu

-Faculty Senate COVID-19 Working Group
Nancy Daley-Moore, PhD, Health Science
Christine Harker, PhD, English
Scott Alberts, PhD, Statistics

 

Limited Moderna Vaccines Available During February
Earlier this week, the State of Missouri announced that select hospitals, including Northeast Regional Medical Center, will be receiving weekly COVID-19 vaccine allocations through the month of February to assist with public vaccination efforts.

NRMC’s first delivery of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is an allocation of 100 first doses. Individuals 65 and older, and any adults with serious health issues, are eligible to register at this time. Individuals meeting the criteria can register providing their name, date of birth, and telephone number via:

· Phone voice message: 660-785-1829 (660-785-1VAX)
· Email: 0166_CI_NRMC1VAX@chs.net
· The hospital operator is not able to accept registrations.

Once you have submitted your appointment request, a hospital representative will reach out to you within 24 to 48 hours to schedule.

Future clinic dates are being scheduled through February. NRMC has not yet been told the number of doses that will be received in the coming weeks. Updates will be provided as additional vaccine is made available.

Feb. 10 Drive-through Clinic
The Adair County Health Department is working with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, the Missouri National Guard and other health departments and health care providers in the region on a mass vaccination drive-through scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 10, at the NEMO Fairgrounds. More than 2,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will be available that day.

All Phase 1A and 1B, Tier 1 and Tier 2, target groups may register for the event. Those include adults age 65 and older and high-risk individuals including adults with cancer, chronic kidney disease, COPD, heart conditions, weakened immune system due to organ transplant, severe obesity (BMI >40), sickle cell disease, Type 2 diabetes mellitus, pregnant women, or individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities such as Down Syndrome.

Target groups also include long-term and residential care workers, hospital and healthcare workers, emergency workers, including first responders, ambulance, law enforcement, fire, corrections and juvenile corrections, emergency management and public works.

Those residents who have emailed the Adair County Health Department but have not been called for a vaccine yet are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity.

To register, use this link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0c4fabae2da7fdc16-region. Those Adair County residents who do not have internet access can call the Adair County Health Department at 660-665-8491, 660-730-6100 or 660-730-6200 for registration assistance.

Dear Truman Faculty, Staff, and Students,

As we predicted last week, the numbers this week are high. Too high.

Here’s an 9-minute video where we go into it.

We’re seeing the cases continue to bloom from a number of “spreader” events that occurred at the beginning of the semester. One bright spot is that our contact tracing continues to be able to track cases within 12-24 hours, so we think we may have a handle on the current outbreak. This number of cases is still well within our capacity to handle on campus, but this level of growth is not sustainable, so we need to make sure that we don’t have additional events that spread cases to multiple people.

Live Super Bowl parties are a VERY BAD idea. We know the Chiefs are playing on Sunday, but we just cannot say this enough ways. A live football party hits all the boxes: different pods of people close to each other for an extended time, eating, drinking, shouting at the screen. A virtual party where you each watch the game together with others from your own house sounds less fun (it probably is), but it’s a much better idea.

We have heard reports that a handful of faculty aren’t following COVID protocols in their classroom, and we want to encourage everyone to follow the protocols. We know it’s a lot to ask, and that we’re all tired of doing this for so long, but we need to get through to the light at the end of the tunnel.

We still don’t know when the vaccine will be widely available for those of us on campus, but we do continue to encourage you to get vaccinated as soon as you can.

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Although we aim these videos and sheets for faculty and staff, please do share this information or the video with students in your classes, with parents, and elsewhere. This information is shared with all students via Blackboard page and sent directly to all Truman faculty and staff, and shared on our public web page here:

https://www.truman.edu/coronavirus/covid-19-working-group-videos/

If you have questions or topics you’d like to know more about, please contact us at: ndmoore@truman.edu

-Faculty Senate COVID-19 Working Group
Nancy Daley-Moore, PhD, Health Science
Christine Harker, PhD, English
Scott Alberts, PhD, Statistics

Dear Faculty and Staff,

The numbers this week have increased, and have increased in a way that really makes us worry more.

This links to an 11-minute video about this week’s sobering numbers.

In short, the number of cases is up, and while all cases have been traced, they are from a much larger number of separate pods.

We do think that class continues to be a safe place to go, provided that faculty and students are following our campus protocols, maintaining distance, wearing masks, and so on. We have heard reports that some classes and many student activities are not following the guidelines, and that is a cause for concern. Please double down on your efforts to follow the guidelines. If necessary, work to find a new space if the one you have isn’t meeting your needs. We need to stay on this.

New guidance is recommending that people wear a double mask: a surgical mask along with a cloth mask. This makes a lot of sense to us, especially as the new variants are starting to reach our area. This does take a bit of getting used to, but clearly adds an extra layer of protection.

We also don’t know when we’ll be getting the vaccine made available for faculty, staff, and students, given the re-prioritizing that the state but we continue to be hope that Missouri will keep improving numbers in these areas. What continues to be true is that as soon as you have a chance to get the vaccine, we think that you should take the opportunity.

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Although we aim these videos and sheets for faculty and staff, please do share this information or the video with students in your classes and elsewhere. This information is shared with all students via Blackboard page and sent directly to all Truman faculty and staff.

Our earlier videos and Tip Sheets are available here:

https://www.truman.edu/coronavirus/covid-19-working-group-videos/

If you have questions or topics you’d like to know more about, please contact us at: ndmoore@truman.edu

-Faculty Senate COVID-19 Working Group
(Nancy Daley-Moore, Christine Harker, and Scott Alberts)

Dear Students,

I want to thank each of you for your cooperation in maintaining our good practices of mask-wearing, social distancing and frequent handwashing. However, this is the time in the semester (and after a long year of pandemic) when it is easy to get lax. You may know other students who have contracted COVID and recovered without any major problem. That has been the case for our students so far. Yet, we know there is the possibility that some of our high-risk students, faculty or staff could suffer terribly if they were to be infected. Research is also suggesting that COVID can have recurring effects so avoiding transmission and/or getting the virus is still significant even for those who are not high-risk.

At this point in time, it appears that our student cases have been unrelated to classroom activities. Most cases have been associated with off-campus events or social activities where students have let down their guard. So, I’m asking you to remember the same good practices, while studying in the library, in your residence hall or when you are off campus, that you adhere to while on campus.  I’m also asking that you carefully consider your spring break plans so that we don’t experience outbreaks upon return to Truman. Avoid large gatherings and consider testing prior to return to school.

I want to make sure you are aware that the Student Health Center is doing free rapid testing for any student who is symptomatic or has had contact with a positive case. Additionally, any student who has arrived recently from outside the US can be tested. You just need to call 660-785-4182 to schedule your appointment. Fees will still be charged for any other testing required, such as strep throat, mono or influenza but no fees for office visits, Zoom visits or rapid testing for COVID.

Also, there is a glimmer of good news. Generally, this is the season where the Student Health Center sees many cases of influenza. Because of our good infection-control measures, we have seen zero cases of flu this winter.

So, keep up the good work…re-commit to maintaining our good infection-control measures…and enjoy a socially distanced walk in the snow!

In good health,

Dr. Higgins

Dear Faculty and Staff

Here’s what’s going on with COVID-19 cases on campus this week.

This link will play a 3.5 minute video about this week’s COVID-19 numbers, and what we think is coming our way.

In short, numbers went down this week from 18 to 11 student cases, but we still worry for the coming weeks. The previous 18 cases were the “end of the bloom” for several large pods, while the 11 are almost all cases in new pods. That means we expect those cases to spread to roommates, significant others, and others within their pods.

We still have no evidence that any cases have spread in classrooms and other areas at Truman where we follow the guidelines. The advice from that guidance is still good: distance, masks, and limiting contact with people outside an intentional pod.

No layer of the “swiss cheese” is perfect, but taken together, we can slow or even stop the spread of COVID-19.

https://www.truman.edu/coronavirus/covid-19-working-group-videos/swiss-cheese-model/

Finally, some people at Truman have already gotten the COVID-19 vaccine, particularly those who work in health-related areas. We have no definitive date for when the rest of us will be able to get it, but we do want to recommend that you get the vaccine as soon as you are able.

Here is the updated case count chart.

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Although we aim these videos and sheets for faculty and staff, please do share this information or the video with students in your classes and elsewhere. This information is shared with the student Blackboard page and sent to all faculty and staff at Truman.

Our earlier videos and Tip Sheets are available here:

https://www.truman.edu/coronavirus/covid-19-working-group-videos/

If there are other questions or things you’d like to know more about, please contact us at: ndmoore@truman.edu

-Faculty Senate COVID-19 Working Group
(Nancy Daley-Moore, Christine Harker, and Scott Alberts)

Dear Faculty Senators, Deans, Chairs, and friends,

We hope your semester is off to a good start.

Here’s a 10-minute video about our opening numbers and what we think might be coming our way:

We had 18 student cases, which is not much lower than we ended. We did note that this is from relatively few “pods” of students, who were isolated before most students came back, so there is some hope that this won’t bloom out of control. We do continue to worry that some students will bring COVID-19 back with them, and testing is just starting in earnest.

We also talked about some creative ways to think about your classes to try to keep them safe. Since our classroom protocols keep students relatively safe, we do want to encourage faculty to reinforce good habits for students outside of the classroom.

Vaccines are coming, but it will be awhile, so we need to keep our standards up, and encourage students to minimize risky behaviors that endanger us all. Distance, Masks, etc., all add layers of “Swiss cheese” to help keep us all safe.

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Please forward this information to your departments or other interested groups of faculty, students, staff, alumni, and friends. Although we aim these videos and sheets at faculty, please share the video and this information with students in your classes and elsewhere.

Our earlier videos and Tip Sheets are available here:

https://www.truman.edu/coronavirus/covid-19-working-group-videos/

If there are other questions or things you’d like to know more about, please contact us at: ndmoore@truman.edu

-Faculty Senate COVID-19 Working Group
(Nancy Daley-Moore, Christine Harker, and Scott Alberts)