October 1, 2021 – COVID-19 Update

Dear Whitman community,

As we are now settling into fall, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on some of the positive things we’ve seen on campus so far this semester. 98% of our campus community is vaccinated against COVID-19! This is a remarkably high percentage and has no doubt contributed to the very low number of COVID cases and lack of transmission in our community. Students, faculty and staff are highly conscientious in how they plan and carry out classes and activities, with reminders about wearing face masks, showing proof of campus access and staying physically spread out becoming common expectations and practices in our community. Thank you for everything you are doing to keep our campus safe and healthy!

This level of care remains important as we head into the cooler weather of fall and with it, an increased number of indoor activities as well as next week’s October Break. Whenever you are around people from outside your household, please continue to: 

• wear face masks in all indoor settings

• be diligent about washing your hands

• avoid large crowds of people

• monitor yourself daily for symptoms of COVID-19

• get tested if you have symptoms of COVID-19 or are notified of an exposure

These layers of protection become even more important if you are out and about in Walla Walla or traveling during October Break, where you may be exposed to higher rates of COVID-19 transmission and lower numbers of vaccinated people than we have on Whitman’s campus.

An additional consideration is the start of flu season, with cases already popping up in Walla Walla. As last year’s mild flu season demonstrated, the steps we take to prevent COVID-19 also help reduce the risk of catching the flu. The flu vaccine is now available at local pharmacies and clinics, and Welty Student Health Center will hold a flu vaccine clinic in October. First priority for the on-campus flu vaccine clinic will be for students, and then we will open it to employees should we have doses remaining. We will send further details about the on-campus flu vaccine clinic when we have confirmation of the dates. For your own well-being and for the sake of others who may be unable to get vaccinated, as well as to support the local health care system as they anticipate the increased strain of dealing with concurrent COVID and flu cases, we strongly encourage you to be vaccinated against influenza in the next few weeks.

Starting the academic year off in the midst of a several-months-long period of extremely high rates of COVID transmission in Walla Walla County is not ideal, but we are very proud of how the Whitman community continues to demonstrate our commitment to promoting health on our campus and in the Walla Walla Valley. 

Best,
Peter Harvey
Coronavirus Task Force Chair