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Two weeks after the start of the fall semester, Boise State University is facing a record number of new coronavirus cases.
Boise state reported 127 new cases for the seven-day period ending Thursday – as a wave of coronavirus continues to unfold at Idaho’s largest university.
The number of cases last week was 56.
For the week ending August 19 – before the start of fall classes – the number of cases was 19.
The current number of cases also represents a pandemic peak. In 2020-2021, the number of cases peaked in mid-November, with a total of 121 over one week.
The spiraling case numbers come as Boise State administrators sound the alarm bells over the prospects for face-to-face classes and campus events.
“If infection rates on campuses continue to rise, we are likely to face temporary and phased closures, which may mean moving classes face-to-face online or in hybrid mode, suspending or reducing of certain campus-based services, the postponement or cancellation of large gatherings, performances and sporting events, and temporary return to work remotely, â€President Marlene Tromp and other administrators said in an email Wednesday to the campus community.
Classes began on August 23, with a mask requirement for indoor public facilities and crowded outdoor spaces. The university cannot force vaccines on staff or students, but administrators are urging vaccines as a way to slow the spread.
The bulk of the new cases involve students – 76 living off campus and 42 living on campus. The other nine cases concern staff or faculty.
In another disturbing measure, 8.4% of campus COVID-19 tests came back positive, up from nearly 6% the week before. Health experts say a positivity rate of more than 5% suggests an epidemic out of control.
Boise State maintains 90 isolation beds for COVID-positive students; 39 beds were in use on Friday.
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