COVID-19 STATUS UPDATE
The health and safety of our students and employees during the COVID-19 pandemic are of paramount importance. Information about COVID-19 active positive cases and Mercyhurst student quarantine and isolation is provided below. Specific details may be limited to preserve health privacy, but we believe it is essential to keep our community as informed as possible during these unprecedented times. Active positive case counts will be updated as quickly as possible after notification, review, and confirmation by the Rapid Response Team. The data presented below represents the best information available to the university at the time of posting.
The COVID-19 dashboard will resume spring semester operations in January 2021.
Positive COVID-19 Cases
| Current Active Positive Cases | Cumulative Positive Cases* | |
|---|---|---|
| Student | 0 | 131 |
| Employee | 0 | 14 |
Last Updated: December 8, 2020, 12:00 p.m.
This dashboard includes active positive cases involving a campus exposure that have been directly reported to the university or have been identified through contact tracing or linkage of students/employees to community testing resources.
*The cumulative number of cases identified in this dashboard represent active positive cases involving a known campus exposure since July 27, 2020.
Narrative Updates
Week of December 1 through December 7, 2020
Active Positive Cases
There were no new active positive student or employee cases during this time period.
Close Contact Quarantine
No students were quarantined due to close contact with a COVID-19 positive individual.
Travel-Related Quarantine
One student continued quarantined due to their travel.
Week of November 24 through November 30, 2020
Active Positive Cases
There were no new active positive student or employee cases during this time period. All previous active positive cases have been medically cleared and are no longer designated active positive cases.
Close Contact Quarantine
At the end of this time period, one student was continuing their quarantine due to known close contact with a COVID-19-positive individual. No students were newly quarantined due to close contact with a COVID-19 positive individual.
Travel-Related Quarantine
One new student was quarantined due to their travel.
Week of November 17 through November 23, 2020
Active Positive Cases
There were five new active positive student cases (all of which were previously reported in the Narrative Updates) and no new active positive employee cases during this time period. Of these five active positive student cases, one has already been medically cleared during this time period.
Of the 28 active positive student cases from the previous time period, 25 have been medically cleared and are no longer designated active positive cases. Three students continue in isolation.
Of the two active positive employee cases from the previous time period, one has been medically cleared and is no longer designated an active positive case. One employee continutes in isolation.
Close Contact Quarantine
At the end of this time period, 17 students were in quarantine due to known close contact with a COVID-19-positive individual. Of those, four were newly quarantined individuals and 13 were individuals continuing their quarantine from the previous time period.
Hotspot or International Travel-Related Quarantine
One students were quarantined due to hotspot or international travel. The one individual from the previous time period has cleared quarantine
November 20, 2020
Update 1: 5:15 p.m.
The number of active positive student cases decreased from 19 to 13 as a result of one new case being added and 7 previous cases being medically cleared and no longer designated positive cases. Contact tracing and secondary tracing efforts are underway for this case.
Update 2: 6:35 p.m.
The number of active positive student cases increased from 13 to 14 as a result of one new case being added. Contact tracing and secondary tracing efforts have been completed for this case.
November 19, 2020
The number of active positive student cases decreased from 28 to 19 as a result of three new cases being added and 12 previous cases being medically cleared and no longer designated positive cases. The number of active positive employee cases decreased from three to two as a result of one new case being added and two previous cases being medically cleared and no longer designated positive cases. Contact tracing and secondary tracing efforts have completed for these cases.
Week of November 10 through November 16, 2020*
Active Positive Cases
There were 31 new active positive cases during this time period, composed of 28 students and three employees. Of these 28 active positive student cases, five have already been medically cleared during this time period.
Of the 48 active positive student cases from the previous time period, 43 have been medically cleared and are no longer designated active positive cases. Five students continue in isolation. All active positive employee cases from the previous time period have been medically cleared and are no longer designated active positive cases.
Of the 28 new active positive students cases, 15 are active positive cases that were identified in the November 12 update and 13 are active positive cases that have been confirmed since the previous update. Of the three new active positive employee cases, two are active positive cases that were identified in the November 12 update and one is an active positive case that has been confirmed since the previous update.
Close Contact Quarantine
At the end of this time period, 56 students were in quarantine due to known close contact with a COVID-19-positive individual. Of those, 41 were newly quarantined individuals and 15 were individuals continuing their quarantine from the previous time period.
Hotspot or International Travel-Related Quarantine
No students were quarantined due to hotspot or international travel. The one individual from the previous time period has cleared quarantine.
*To more fully encompass cluster activity, please note that this weekly update includes one extra day (November 16).
November 12, 2020
The number of active positive student cases decreased from 67 to 57 cases. This is a result of 25 active positive student cases from the previous time period being medically cleared and no longer designated active positive cases and 15 new active positive student cases. The number of active positive employee cases remained at 3 cases. This is a result of two employee cases from the previous time period being medically cleared and no longer designated active postiive cases and two new active positive employee cases. Contact tracing and secondary tracing efforts are completed for all cases. In total, 27 cases were medically cleared and removed and 17 were confirmed active positive and added.
Week of November 2 through November 9, 2020*
Active Positive Cases
There were 50 new active positive cases during this time period, composed of 48 students and two employees — all previously reported below. Of the 32 active positive student cases from the previous time period, 14 have been medically cleared and are no longer designated active positive cases. 18 students continue in isolation. Of the six active positive employee cases from the previous time period, five have been medically cleared and are no longer designated active positive cases. One employee continues in isolation.
Close Contact Quarantine
At the end of this time period, 51 students were in quarantine due to known close contact with a COVID-19-positive individual. Of those, 29 were newly quarantined individuals and 22 were individuals continuing their quarantine from the previous time period.
Hotspot or International Travel-Related Quarantine
One student was quarantined due to hotspot or international travel. This individual was continuing quarantine from the previous time period.
*To more fully encompass cluster activity, please note that this weekly update includes one extra day (November 9).
November 9, 2020
The number of active positive student cases decreased from 68 to 67 student cases. This is a result of 14 active positive cases from the previous time period being medically cleared and no longer designated active positive cases and 13 new active positive student cases being confirmed. Contact tracing and secondary tracing efforts are underway for these cases.
November 6, 2020
The number of active positive cases increased from 54 to 55 student cases and five to six employee cases. Contact tracing and secondary tracing efforts are underway for these cases. These additional cases appear to be unrelated to each other, as well as either cluster.
November 5, 2020
The number of active positive cases increased from 32 to 34 student cases and four to five employee cases. Contact tracing and secondary tracing efforts are underway for these cases. These additional cases appear to be unrelated to each other, as well as either cluster.
Active Positive Cases
There were 36 new active positive cases during this time period, composed of 32 students and four employees. Of these 36 new active positive cases, 30 students and two employees were associated with the cluster, which is detailed in the Cluster Interim Update below. All active positive cases from the previous time period have been medically cleared and are no longer designated active positive cases.
November 10, 2020, 6:49 p.m. — As additional information has become available, two employees have been identified as active positive cases for this time period.
Close Contact Quarantine
At the end of this time period, 42 students were in quarantine due to known close contact with a COVID-19-positive individual. Of those, 36 were newly quarantined individuals and six were individuals continuing their quarantine from the previous time period.
November 10, 2020, 8:46 p.m. — As additional information has become available, two students have been identified as close contacts of a COVID-19 positive individual for this time period.
Hotspot or International Travel-Related Quarantine
Three students were quarantined due to hotspot or international travel. Of those students, one was a newly quarantined individual and two individuals were continuing quarantine from the previous time period.
Cluster Interim Update
October 30, 2020, 7:09 p.m. — The university is responding to a probable cluster of COVID-19 cases with campus exposure. The dashboard will be updated as cases are officially confirmed by public health officials. For more information, refer to a recent email to the campus community.
October 30, 2020, 8:15 p.m. — 13 students in the probable cluster have been confirmed positive. The dashboard has been updated to reflect those active cases. We are awaiting additional official testing results. The dashboard will be promptly updated as additional cases are officially confirmed by public health officials.
November 1, 2020, 1:15 p.m. — All test results for the probable cluster have been received, resulting in an additional 16 student and two employee active positive cases. The dashboard has been updated accordingly, and contact tracing and secondary tracing efforts have been completed for this cluster, which now consists of 29 active positive students and two active positive employees. All active positive individuals, and those identified through contact tracing as close contacts, remain in isolation and quarantine.
November 1, 2020, 7:50 p.m. — A close contact, initially identified as part of the cluster, has been confirmed as an active positive case. The dashboard has been updated accordingly, and contact tracing and secondary tracing efforts have already been completed. The individual had already been in quarantine as part of the initial cluster, and has now moved to isolation. The cluster now consists of 30 active positive students and two active positive employees.
November 5, 2020, 4:11 p.m. — 13 close contacts, initially identified and quarantined as part of the first cluster, have now been converted to active positive cases. The dashboard has been updated accordingly, and contact tracing and secondary tracing efforts have already been completed. These individuals had already been in quarantine as part of the initial cluster, and have now moved to isolation. The cluster now consists of 43 active positive students and two active positive employees.
November 5, 2020, 4:35 p.m. — Within the past 24 hours, we have identified a second cluster of COVID-19 among our community. This cluster currently consists of seven active positive student cases. In response, the university is implementing a period of campus-wide expanded precautions effective at 9 p.m. on November 5 and continuing through Wednesday, November 11.
November 6, 2020, 6:25 p.m. — Additional test results have confirmed 12 new active positive student cases that were originally identified through contact tracing of the second cluster. The second cluster now consists of 19 active positive student cases.
Update 1: 12:54 p.m.
The number of active positive cases increased from 15 to 16 student cases and two to three employee cases. Contact tracing and secondary tracing efforts have completed for both of these cases. These additional cases appear to be unrelated to each other, as well as the probable cluster.
Update 2: 7:48 p.m.
The number of active positive cases increased from 32 to 33 student cases. Contact tracing and secondary tracing efforts are underway for this case. This case appears to be unrelated to any other cases, as well as the cluster.
The number of active positive cases increased from one to two employee cases. Contact tracing and secondary tracing efforts have completed for this case.
Active Positive Cases
There were two new active positive cases during this time period. In regards to the one continuing active positive case from the previous time period, this individual remains in isolation.
Close Contact Quarantine
15 students were quarantined due to known close contact with a COVID-19-positive individual. Of those, ten were newly quarantined individuals and five were individuals continuing their quarantine from the previous time period.
Hotspot or International Travel-Related Quarantine
Three individuals were quarantined due to hotspot or international travel. Of those, two were newly quarantined individuals and one individual was continuing quarantine from the previous time period.
Update 1: 3:49 p.m.
The number of active positive cases increased from zero to one employee case. Contact tracing and secondary tracing efforts have completed for this case.
Update 2: 5:51 p.m.
The number of active positive cases increased from one to two student cases. Contact tracing and secondary tracing efforts are currently underway for this case.
Active Positive Cases
There were no new active positive cases during this time period. Of the two continuing active positive cases from the previous time period, one has been medically cleared and is no longer designated an active positive case and the other individual remains in isolation.
Close Contact Quarantine
12 students were quarantined due to known close contact with a COVID-19-positive individual. Of those, two were newly quarantined individuals and 10 were individuals continuing their quarantine from the previous time period.
Hotspot or International Travel-Related Quarantine
Two individuals were quarantined due to hotspot or international travel. Of those, one was a newly quarantined individual and one individual was continuing quarantine from the previous time period.
For the week of October 5 through October 11, 2020, we had two new active positive cases (composed of the cases announced in the October 8 and October 9 updates) and five continuing active positive cases (all of which have now been medically cleared and are no longer designated active positive cases).
The number of students who were quarantined due to hotspot or international travel include one newly quarantined individual and one individual continuining their quarantine from a previous week. Eight students began quarantine and six students continued quarantine due to known close contact with a COVID-19-positive individual.
For the week of October 5 through October 11, 2020, we had two new active positive cases (composed of the cases announced in the October 8 and October 9 updates) and five continuing active positive cases (all of which have now been medically cleared and are no longer designated active positive cases).
The number of students who were quarantined due to hotspot or international travel include one newly quarantined individual and one individual continuining their quarantine from a previous week. Eight students began quarantine and six students continued quarantine due to known close contact with a COVID-19-positive individual.
The number of active positive cases has increased from six to seven student cases. This case is unrelated to previous cases of campus exposure.
The number of active positive cases has increased from five to six student cases. This case is unrelated to previous cases of campus exposure.
For the week of September 28 through October 4, 2020, we had five new active positive cases (composed of the cases announced in the September 30, October 2, and October 3 updates). All previous active positive cases have been medically cleared and are no longer designated active positive cases.
The number of students who were quarantined due to hotspot or international travel include one newly quarantined individual and one individual continuining their quarantine from a previous week. Eleven students began quarantine and one student continued quarantine due to known close contact with a COVID-19-positive individual.
The number of active positive cases has increased from six to eight student cases. Two close contacts associated with a case added yesterday began experiencing symptoms and were declared probable positive by the health department. Contact tracing and secondary tracing is underway this evening for these two individuals.
The number of active positive cases has increased from four to six student cases. One individual’s classification was changed from a close contact quarantine to an active positive case based on additional information that became available through testing. A second individual has also tested positive. The two cases do not appear related. Contact tracing and secondary tracing efforts are underway for both cases.
The number of active positive cases has increased from three to four student cases. One individual's classification was changed from a close contact quarantine to an active positive case based on additional information that became available from a public health authority.
For the week of September 21 through September 27, 2020, we had two new positive cases and one continuing case involving a campus exposure. One of these new positive cases is the individual from the September 23 update.
The number of students who were quarantined due to hotspot or international travel included one newly quarantined individual and two individuals continuing their quarantine from a previous week. One student began quarantine and one student continued quarantine due to known close contact with a COVID-19-positive individual. All other previously reported individuals in quarantine due to close contact with a COVID-19-positive individual have been cleared.
The number of active positive cases has decreased from seven to three student cases and from one to zero employee cases.
The number of active positive cases has increased from six to seven student cases. The individual's classification was changed from a close contact quarantine to an active positive case based on additional information that became available during contact tracing efforts by the Erie County Department of Health.
Nineteen students remain in quarantine and four students continued quarantine due to known close contact with a COVID-19-positive individual.
For the week of September 14 through September 20, 2020, we had five new positive cases and two continuing cases involving a campus exposure.
The number of students who were quarantined due to hotspot or international travel included two newly quarantined individuals and one individual continuing their quarantine from a previous week. Twenty students began quarantine and four students continued quarantine due to known close contact with a COVID-19-positive individual.
For the week of September 7 through September 13, 2020, we had two positive cases involving a campus exposure.
The number of students who were quarantined due to hotspot or international travel included two newly quarantined individuals and one individual continuing their quarantine from a previous week. No students began quarantine and six students continued quarantine due to known close contact with a COVID-19-positive individual.
For the week of August 31 through September 6, 2020, we had no active positive cases involving a campus exposure.
The number of students who were quarantined due to hotspot or international travel included one newly quarantined individual and eight individuals continuing their quarantine from a previous week. Seven students began quarantine and six students continued quarantine due to known close contact with a COVID-19-positive individual.
For the week of August 24 through August 30, 2020, we had no active positive cases involving a campus exposure.
The number of students who were quarantined due to hotspot or international travel included eight newly quarantined individuals and 12 individuals continuing their quarantine from a previous week. Four students began quarantine and eight students continued quarantine due to known close contact with a COVID-19-positive individual.
For the week of August 17 through August 23, 2020, we had no active positive cases involving a campus exposure.
The number of students who were quarantined due to hotspot or international travel included 12 newly quarantined individuals and 25 individuals continuing their quarantine from a previous week. Five students began quarantine and three students continued quarantine due to known close contact with a COVID-19-positive individual.
For the week of August 10 through August 16, 2020, we had no active positive cases involving a campus exposure. One off-campus student tested positive for COVID-19 but had no exposure to campus facilities and/or to members of the campus community.
The number of students who were quarantined due to hotspot or international travel included 25 newly quarantined individuals and 33 individuals continuing their quarantine from a previous week. Three students began quarantine due to known close contact with a COVID-19-positive individual.
For the week of August 3 through August 9, 2020, we had no active positive cases involving a campus exposure.
The number of students who were quarantined due to hotspot or international travel included 33 newly quarantined individuals and 83 individuals continuing their quarantine from a previous week. No students were quarantined due to known close contact with a COVID-19-positive individual.
For the week of July 27 through August 2, 2020, we had no active positive cases involving a campus exposure. Two off-campus students tested positive for COVID-19 but had no exposure to campus facilities and/or to members of the campus community.
The number of students who were quarantined due to hotspot or international travel included 83 newly quarantined individuals. No students were quarantined due to known close contact with a COVID-19-positive individual.
Important Definitions
Active Positive Case
An active positive case is an individual who appears to meet the criteria defined by the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists and adopted by the CDC or has been identified as such by the Erie County Department of Health or other applicable county or state health department.
Campus Exposure
Under an April 15, 2020, Pennsylvania Department of Health Order, actions must be taken if the university was exposed to a Probable or Confirmed case. Campus Exposure will be determined to have occurred when an individual with a Probable or Confirmed case was physically present on a university campus or in a university-occupied building within two days prior to illness onset (or, for asymptomatic individuals, two days prior to positive specimen collection). Mercyhurst reports any cases suspected to be positive to the Erie County Department of Health, which makes the official designation of a Probable or Confirmed case.
Close Contact
For COVID-19, a Close Contact is defined as any individual who was within 6 feet of an active positive case for at least 15 minutes starting from two days before symptom onset (or, for asymptomatic individuals, two days prior to positive specimen collection) until the time the individual is isolated. It may also include an individual who had unprotected, direct contact with infectious secretions or excretions of a person with Confirmed COVID-19 in the same time periods listed above.
Hotspot State
A hotspot state is defined as any state that is designated on Pennsylvania's COVID-19 travel advisory. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania recommends that individuals coming from these states quarantine for 14 days upon entering Pennsylvania.
Isolation
Isolation keeps someone who is currently ill with COVID-19, or someone who is asymptomatic but tested positive for it, away from others, even in their own home. It serves much of the same function as quarantine. The time frame for remaining in isolation is determined by current CDC guidance.
Quarantine
Quarantine refers to the practice of separating individuals who have had close contact with someone with COVID-19 or have been present in a hotspot state or international destination to determine if they develop symptoms or test positive for the disease.
Important Note
The information on this page focuses on active positive cases involving a campus exposure that have been directly reported to the university or have been identified through contact tracing or linkage of students/employees to community testing resources. At any given time, Mercyhurst employees may be quarantining off campus upon advice from their own medical providers or as required under university policy. Active positive cases involving a campus exposure are being managed in accordance with the university's policies and procedures; for more information, please review our Policies and Procedures webpage.
Contact Us
The phone number 814-824-3600 will serve as a 24-hour hotline to which you can report potential exposure, as well as direct all COVID-related questions and requests. It is critical you call the hotline immediately if you suspect you’ve been exposed to someone with COVID-19, or you begin exhibiting symptoms. When you call, you will be connected to someone, available 24/7, who will direct you on how to proceed. You can also call the hotline if you would like to request a COVID-19 test, need a new face covering, notice an empty sanitizing station, or have any other COVID concerns.
You may also email your inquiries to covid19@mercyhurst.edu.