In an effort to keep the campus up to date on all COVID-19-related news, the associate vice president of student affairs Dr. Andrew Miller held a coronavirus press conference the morning of Oct. 4.
One of the main ways that the university measures the level of transmission on campus is through the data received by the on-campus Student Health Center (SHC).
“For the first time since the beginning of the pandemic we had zero positive cases out of the student health center,” Miller explained. “These reports are on a symptomatic basis, though we had zero results of positive tests.”
Despite zero positive cases being reported by the Student Health Center, taking the necessary precautions to keep these cases low is an important step in ending the spread of the virus.
“We are still in high transmission and are taking needed precautions, we are indeed on the back end of the latest delta wave, compared to other universities,” Miller said. “Studies show we have a high concentration of vaccinated students, which is why we have noticed these changes.”
One of the main ways to stop the spread of the virus is through vaccinations. Especially going into the flu season, the flu vaccination is just as necessary as the coronavirus vaccination in keeping the student body healthy.
“To get vaccinated if you have not already as we approach midterms is important, we would hate for students to miss their classes because of an illness that may have been avoided when taking correct precaution,” Miller stated. “This would also include getting the Flu Vaccine, which is recommended as well for extra precaution as we are in the midst of cold and flu season.”
On campus, the student body is not only experiencing the stress of being on campus during the pandemic, but also the stress of how this month of October brings many tight deadlines such as midterms and projects.
During this period, it is important to reach out to others when help is needed in order to avoid burnout
“As we are just starting Mental Health Awareness month, we try and remind faculty and staff of all the resources available for them on campus,” Miller stated. “When talking about mental health, we often forget about resources, and we have been trying to elevate awareness.”
With Sam Houston being on the back end of covid transmissions, it is still important to not only keep ensuring we are taking the necessary precautions in keeping transmission low, but also important in ensuring we are also focusing on maintaining a healthy state of mind during a time of high pressure.
