Emerson reports three new positive tests since Monday
Emerson reported three new positive COVID-19 test results between Aug. 30 and Sept. 2, bringing the community’s positive tests to 10 out of 7,422 administered.
One individual is currently in isolation on campus, and 10 are quarantined on campus, according to the college’s COVID-19 dashboard. The quarantine designation is reserved for those who were exposed to the virus, while isolation is for those who are “known or reasonably known to be infected”.
The three new positives came from the 1,464 tests administered since Monday. All remaining tests came back negative, leaving the four-day period’s positivity rate at .2 percent.
Thursday’s update did not include the number of “invalid” results received by community members, which has been as high as 2.4 percent in past weeks. These results are a consequence of user error and require retesting.
Thursday’s dashboard update also does not include a “hospitalizations” tab, unlike prior iterations of the dashboard. The college has not reported that any community members have been hospitalized since the dashboard debuted.
The board also does not specify if the positive test results came from students, faculty and staff, or how many of the tests were administered to each group. While all students are required to undergo weekly testing, faculty and staff had to opt in to weekly testing, following their initial baseline test before classes began.
Administrators recently began updating the dashboard twice weekly—on Mondays and Thursdays—after community input. Initially, the tracker was only going to be updated once weekly.
Charlie McKenna graduated in 2022. He is from Los Angeles, CA and served as The Beacon's Editor-in-Chief during the Fall 2021 semester, overseeing all of the paper's print and digital content in addition to daily operations. He has contributed to The Beacon since the Fall 2019 semester and previously served as a Content Managing Editor, the Deputy Express Editor, and the SGA correspondent. McKenna's work has appeared in The Boston Globe and in his...
Diana Bravo is a copyeditor and photographer for The Beacon. She also works as a Metro/Local Co-op at The Boston Globe. Prior to her current role, Diana served The Beacon as Deputy Lifestyle Editor, Assistant News Editor, and SGA reporter. She is originally from the New York City area and Stratton, Vermont and is an avid skier.
