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Last updated October 22
Ninety-three percent of students and 89 percent of faculty have been fully vaccinated as of Aug. 2, according to University communications.
The changes to University policy are consistent with new guidance from Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam that will officially end many of the restrictions that were instituted at the beginning of the pandemic beginning Friday at midnight.
The changes will go into effect Saturday at 9 a.m. and are in accordance with newly announced statewide and Center for Disease Control and Prevention guidance.
Most students make a full recovery but some may experience lingering symptoms of the virus even after the 10 day infectious period of symptomatic infection.
The prospect of returning to normalcy is exciting yet daunting, many students and faculty members said.
There remain a number of other steps that the administration ought to take if the University is to see a "normal" semester in the fall.
Last Sunday, the positivity rate for the entire community was 0.26 percent whereas it is currently 0.09 percent.
Students have filed into U.Va. Health’s COVID-19 Community Vaccination Center located in the Seminole Square Shopping Center over the past two weeks to receive their first doses of the vaccine.
Individuals must still maintain a six-foot distance from one another, and masks are still required in larger settings, such as athletic events and the upcoming Final Exercises ceremonies.
Professors have realized that recording lectures to be viewed later is an easier alternative for both themselves and students than lecturing live online.
Groves encouraged students to use the new gathering limits “responsibly.”
Of current cases, 59 are student cases and 16 are cases within faculty and staff, with a total average of 11 new cases between Sunday and Wednesday.
Individuals in the BRHD who were scheduled to receive the Johnson & Johnson vaccine can reschedule their appointment for a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.
University staff and faculty, who qualify to get vaccinated under phase 1c, have been eligible to receive a vaccination since April 1.
There have been 1,821 total cases reported during the spring semester as of Wednesday, in comparison to 1,548 total cases reported during the fall semester.
Beyond just demotivation, students have experienced significant changes to overall mental health and wellness due to added stress and the disruption of normalcy.
The seven-day average positivity rate is currently 0.45 percent compared to the 0.27 percent average reported last Sunday.
This expands eligibility to around 7,000 individuals based on preregistration information from the Commonwealth's online registration system.
Both the IFC and ISC first suspended all in-person gatherings Feb. 26 following a record-breaking spike in new cases the week of Feb. 14.
For now, students are urged to continue compliance with public health measures including mask-wearing, social-distancing and attending weekly prevalence testing appointments.
