NIU weekly COVID-19 update: 16 new virus cases

DeKALB – From March 8 through Monday, Northern Illinois University reported 16 new cases of COVID-19: three employees and 13 students.

The university also reported 19 recoveries among two employees and 17 students.

Of the remaining six active cases on campus, five are among students. Since the start of the school year Aug. 19, there have been 1,194 cases of COVID-19 and 1,188 recoveries.

According to the school’s website, all 100% of the quarantine and isolation beds are available.

Surveillance testing is done weekly on a random selection of students and staff on campus via rapid testing, which allows NIU to locate and identify viral spread more quickly. During the week of March 7, 2,085 surveillance tests were administered, resulting in 8 positive test results. NIU’s positivity rate is 0.38%.

NIU has a total enrollment of 14,601 for the spring semester, which includes undergraduate and graduate students, and 3,146 students living on campus.

As part of NIU’s COVID-19 protocol, all students and employees on campus are required to participate in weekly surveillance testing unless they provide proof of vaccination.

Gov. JB Pritzker has required all higher education students and staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19. NIU had approved a similar mandate, including a required vaccine for students living on campus, before the governor’s announced mandate in late August.

Although specific surveillance testing results are reported weekly on Mondays, positive tests found through the program are included in daily statistics.

Daily COVID-19 case data from the DeKalb County Health Department might not reflect daily data from NIU because some students or employees may live outside the county and still test positive for the virus.