New COVID-19 Strain Emerges

A new COVID-19 variant called XBB.1.5 surges on the east coast. According to the World Health Organization, the variant is likely to be more transmissible than the previous variants due to its immune evasiveness.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that the new variant accounts for 43% of new cases, with most  […]

2 mins read

OMICRON surges at USD, CDC guidelines change

As COVID-19 resurges through the community, USD is continuing to provide testing, even amidst the test shortage.  Testing is available Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Muenster University Center (MUC) in the Hoy room located in the northeast corner on the first floor. Kevin O’Kelley, head of the USD COVID-19 […]

3 mins read

No COVID-19 changes anticipation for spring semester

As students prepare for the close of the fall semester and are scheduling their trips home, USD doesn’t anticipate having to make any adjustments for COVID-19 come the spring semester. Kevin O’Kelley, head of the COVID-19 Taskforce, said while numbers are lower than the university anticipated, it’s important to remember that these cases are not […]

2 mins read

COVID-19 Taskforce encourages testing before Thanksgiving break

Last fall, the University of South Dakota’s COVID-19 cases peaked at 243 according to the USD COVID-19 Dashboard. This year, the highest peak has been 24 in early September. South Dakota has a total of 5,961 cases overall, according to the South Dakota Department of Health website. Kevin O’Kelley, the head of USD’s COVID-19 Taskforce, […]

2 mins read

Cases stay low, on-campus COVID-19 testing remains available

There are currently six active cases of COVID-19 at USD as of Oct. 19, but COVID-19 testing is still available daily as the virus remains on campus. USD had a peak of 25 cases in early September, but hasn’t seen the case total climb above 15 since Sept. 8. There are currently nine individuals in […]

3 mins read

Vermillion Schools and their procedures for COVID

The Vermillion School District (VSD) has a “Return to School Plan” in place where masks are not enforced unless a building surpasses a certain COVID threshold. Masks are required for two weeks until COVID numbers are bellow the threshold The superintendent for the VSD is Damon Alvey keeps everyone in the school district informed weekly […]

3 mins read

USD plans to continue monitoring COVID-19 levels

USD is still monitoring COVID-19 cases among students, faculty and the community as a whole.  Kevin O’Kelley, USD Assistant Vice President for Research Compliance and Director of Environmental Health and Safety, is the university’s point of contact for the South Dakota Department of Health. He will know about every COVID-19 case on campus and within […]

3 mins read

USD professors prepare for fall semester

Just like students, USD professors have adapted to the changing year, involving hybrid and distanced instruction as the pandemic has played out, and are preparing to come back to campus normally next fall.  Lori Costello, USD assistant professor, said this past year has been tough. These past two and a half semesters, more students have […]

3 mins read

Brief: USD vaccination event switches to Moderna after Johnson & Johnson FDA approval paused

A vaccination event on the USD campus substituted Moderna’s first dose for Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccination after the FDA announced a temporary pause on Johnson & Johnson’s approval. Both the CDC and FDA are investigating blood clots developed by six women after vaccination. 6.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine have been […]

1 min read

People ages 16 and up can receive COVID-19 vaccine

The first wave of students eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine were students who worked in clinical care settings and those who had underlaying heath conditions. On Monday, statewide eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine was extended to all residents 16 and older, according to a press release from the USD COVID-19 Task Force. This includes all […]

4 mins read