Student positivity rates continue to decrease, USC mandates flu shots for the spring semester


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For the upcoming spring semester, students attending in-person classes will be required to take flu shots. For students currently taking in-person classes or living in USC Housing, influenza immunizations are required to be completed by Nov. 1. (Sarah Cortina | Daily Trojan)

USC COVID-19 testing data has shown a slight decrease in student positivity rates last week according to testing results released by the University Wednesday. With positivity rates also showing a slight decrease in Los Angeles County, USC Student Health also announced in a student media briefing that USC is in the process of creating preparations for the spring semester, including the possibility for in-person activities on campus. 

Student Health conducted 2,445 tests Sept. 6-12, with a total of 45 students and zero employees testing positive. Of the 45 student cases, 18 tested positive through surveillance testing with a 0.8% positivity rate, with the remaining 27 students testing through Student Health’s testing for those who are symptomatic or have been exposed to the virus with a 17.6% positivity rate. The number of positive cases have slightly decreased from the week of Aug. 30 where 100 students and one employee tested positive for the virus, Chief Health Officer Dr. Sarah Van Orman said. 

L.A. County has also seen a decrease in the number of coronavirus cases, with three days of less than 1,000 coronavirus cases Sept. 13-15, according to data collected by the New York Times. Although L.A. County’s case trend is improving, Van Orman said California’s tier reopening guidelines requiring a minimum of three weeks of case reductions are due to fluctuations in data collection and events such as Labor Day weekend. 

On Wednesday, L.A. County experienced more than 1,000 cases. According to the Department of Public Safety’s Crime and Fire Log, 13 parties were shut down — due to noise complaints or in violation of coronavirus isolation guidelines — at the time of publication, with five taking place during the Labor Day weekend. 

University administrators and Student Health are also in the process of creating plans for the spring semester. However, with more than three months before the start of the upcoming semester, Van Orman said contingency plans, including an online semester, are also being made, with in-person plans dependent on L.A. County’s university reopening guidelines and the virus’ community prevalence. The California State University system announced last week that its campuses will likely continue with coursework remotely in the spring semester, and the top health official in the University of California system suggested classes should remain online for the next year.  

“This is all so subject to change, and it’s really driven, not by the University, but rather by what the local public health conditions are,” Van Orman said. “We know that there will likely need to be, even if we’re in person, some component of hybrid education … But we also know there’s a possibility if, one, conditions are poor in the county, or we start to see cases spike, that we need to pivot to a remote environment. And, finally, we always know there’s a possibility that we might not be able to start in person. So with all of those caveats, though, we are hopeful and planning for in-person experiences in the spring.”

In a Universitywide email Wednesday, Student Health announced that flu shots will be required for those returning to in-person class for the spring semester. USC students taking in-person classes or living in USC Housing during the fall, are required to complete their influenza immunization by Nov. 1. For students living in off-campus residences are strongly encouraged to get the vaccine. According to Van Orman, more than 2,100 influenza shots have been administered by Student Health on HSC and UPC campuses as of Wednesday. 

Although the USC Hotel has not reached capacity, Van Orman said a residence hall will be available to house students with coronavirus if necessary. According to data kept by Student Health tracking the number of students who have tested positive or who have been exposed to the virus, around 350 students are in isolation and around 300 students in quarantine. As of Thursday morning, 36 students are quarantining in the USC Hotel, with 115 rooms currently available, according to USC Hospitality.