One new coronavirus case was reported in the American University community on Dec. 7, bringing the total confirmed case number since the start of the fall semester to 39, according to the COVID-19 weekly case tracker.
The tracker was relaunched by the University on Aug. 31 for the fall semester. It monitors cases of students, faculty, staff and contractors who are in the D.C. area and who may have been on campus in the past 30 days, according to an email sent by President Sylvia Burwell.
The case tracker, which originally launched in March 2020, stopped tracking new cases on May 11, at the conclusion of the spring semester. As of April 28, the tracker confirmed 54 COVID-19 cases confirmed within the AU community.
“It is important to note that the confirmed number of spring cases, 54, included community members located anywhere, not just in the D.C. area, who reported a confirmed test to the university,” AU spokesperson Stacie Burgess said in an email to The Eagle.
Burgess told The Eagle in September that 78 students, faculty, staff and contractors were infected between March 1 and Aug. 31.
The fall tracker does not include cases from students who are residing outside of the D.C. area, but the University is internally tracking reported cases of community members outside of the region to provide internal support, according to the email.
As of Dec. 6, D.C. has recorded 23,319 confirmed cases and 701 deaths.
Anyone who plans on going to campus is required to complete a daily self screening form prior to their arrival, which is also required daily for those living on campus.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
