Pitt adds 487 new COVID-19 cases since Jan. 12

Pitt officials said Thursday that 352 students and 135 employees tested positive for COVID-19 from Jan. 12 to Jan. 18.

According to an email sent by Pitt’s COVID-19 Medical Response Office, although cases on Pitt campuses are high, case severity remains largely mild or asymptomatic. The email said everyone should do their best to stay healthy, and the mindset of trying to contract COVID-19 in order to get it over with is “misinformed.”

The CMRO said getting the COVID-19 booster and continuing to wear masks are the two “best” methods to keeping the community safe. The Pitt CoVax Vaccination Center is open five days a week, and there are appointments available at Friday’s booster clinic at the Pete from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

With in-person classes scheduled to resume next Thursday, the email said N95 or equivalent respirators will be available at the concierge entrances to buildings beginning the week of Jan. 24, as these are the masks which offer maximum protection. But for most people, wearing a KN95, surgical or cloth mask should be sufficient, according to the CMRO. Anyone with symptoms or a positive COVID-19 result should not attend in-person classes when they resume.