CMU reports 54 new COVID-19 cases last week
Graduate student Theophilus Nkansah disinfects a hand sanitizing station in Moore Hall on Oct. 6.
After a few weeks of slow growth in coronavirus cases, new cases at Central Michigan University surged back to the same number as the start of the semester.
During the week of Oct. 5-11, CMU announced 54 newly reported COVID-19 cases on the university’s Fired Up For Fall webpage. This more than doubled from the week prior when 21 new cases were announced. Of the 298 reported cases with CMU’s population since June 15, 42 are considered “active.”
The university defines "active cases" as those who tested positive, either symptomatic or asymptomatic, and are 10 or fewer days after the first signs of symptoms or referral date. Inactive cases are defined as people 11 days after the first signs of symptoms and who are asymptomatic.
The Central Michigan District Health Department is reporting cases related to the return of CMU students to the Mount Pleasant area on the State of Michigan’s website. There have been 323 cases associated with the return as of Sept. 28, according to the state’s website.
Melissa DeRoche, the emergency preparedness coordinator for CMDHD, said these cases include current students, former students and those living both inside or outside the community who were identified as being associated with other cases related to return to CMU.
As of Oct. 12, there have been 762 cases in Isabella County since the start of the pandemic, according to the county’s website. There have been 519 recoveries and 15 deaths.
