Five people are in isolation at Lake Superior State University after testing positive for COVID-19, says the school.
Further to that, 50 close contacts of those people are in quarantine because they may have been exposed to it.
"Testing (Abbott ID NOW COVID-19 Rapid Testing) began on campus on July 13, 2020," says the school's website. "There were no known on-campus cases through Aug. 26, 2020."
All five positive tests came back after Aug. 26, barely a month into the school year with the first being discovered on Aug. 26.
The school issued the following news release after the first case was discovered but has not issued a statement addressing the four newer cases.
COVID-19 Campus Update
Aug. 27, 2020
Dear LSSU Community,
At 11 a.m. today, we verified a single positive case of COVID-19 in a student that resides on-campus with rapid testing at the LSSU Health Care Center. We shared this news immediately with the Chippewa County Health Department and the person is currently housed in Brown Hall. Roommates have been contacted and are in quarantine under guidance from the Health Department. We are actively providing information to the Health Department for contact tracing. The Health Department is contacting additional individuals on whom this case may have an impact and will provide guidance about quarantine and any need for COVID-19 testing. Individuals with direct exposure will be instructed by the Health Department to wait to test for five days because of the incubation period that would make the virus detectable with a test. LSSU is actively working with all students to ensure full support and well-being.
If you feel any symptoms related to COVID-19 – namely, fever exceeding 100.4°F (38°C) or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea – or if you were directed by a medical professional to be tested for COVID-19, stay home. Please call the Health Care Center at (906) 635-2110 and schedule an appointment. Our medical staff will make a determination about whether you need a medical check-up and/ or COVID-19 test, both of which can be done at the Health Care Center.
If you are feeling symptomatic and sick on Saturdays or Sundays, please call the War Memorial Hospital Emergency Room at (906) 635-4402.
Classes will proceed according to existing schedules, strictly following the Four Pillars of Laker Safety. Faculty with questions should contact their respective College’s Dean. We ask all members of the LSSU Community to adhere strictly to the Four Pillars of Laker Safety in all settings, both on-campus and off-campus.
For updates on the LSSU’s ongoing response to COVID, including a dashboard in development for posting this afternoon, please refer to www.lssu.edu/coronavirus.
