After a spike in cases among students in East Lansing, MSU President Samuel L. Stanley Jr. urged the students, faculty and staff to sign up for the COVID-19 early detection program called Spartan Spit. Elements of the Spartan Spit Kit photographed above on Sept. 14, 2020.
—Ingham County Health Director Linda Vail said that the Ingham County Health Department (ICHD) is working closely with Michigan State regarding MSU’s latest order for enhanced social distancing for on and off-campus students.
Despite the number of cases in Ingham County continuing to decrease overall, East Lansing remains an area of high concern due to having a positivity rate of over 5% of all COVID-19 tests administered in the city and accounting for the most cases in Ingham County last week.
Michigan State University issued an order of enhanced physical distancing for all students starting on Jan. 30 through Feb. 13. The order was issued due to an increase in positivity rates of all MSU students.
“We have had our significant outbreak with MSU and MSU cases,” Vail said. “We are certainly hoping to not repeat that experience. So, working with the University as well as messaging with student populations around, basically continuing to stay the course with us so we can get through this pandemic.”
ICHD is expecting to receive a shipment of 5,875 vaccines this week and is planning on administering a total of 4,728 vaccines this week as well.
Vail said that the vaccinations that were received will be administered to people that are a part of the 1B phase of vaccinations in Michigan.
People included in the 1B phase are state officials, Michigan State Police, National Guard stationed in Michigan and other essential workers that were not a part of the first wave of vaccinations.
Vail did not comment on when they expect to move into the next phase of vaccinations, 1C, which includes anyone ages 16-64 that has an underlying health condition.
Support student media! Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
