Between the new BlendFlex model, classroom capacities, limited gathering sizes and masks covering the faces of every Shark, it’s hard to miss the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on NSU.
As we head into our sixth week of classes, NSU continues to monitor the effects of COVID-19 on campus. As of Friday, Sept. 18, NSU has had a total of two “positive” cases within the residential halls on campus — the second and newest case received an “inconclusive” test result (the first case was mentioned in our previous COVID-19 update).
“We treat ‘inconclusive’ as positive. We err on the side of caution, so that would make our second positive case in the residence halls,” explained Beth Welmaker, executive director for environmental health and safety for NSU.
The student does not have any roommates or suitemates, and had completed their isolation this past weekend. Additionally, Welmaker said the university is not aware of anyone who has had to quarantine as a result of exposure to the student.
Another campus resident had notified university officials of an exposure that required quarantine. However, the student decided to return home for this period. As of Sept. 18, there were no NSU students in quarantine on campus, although there are individuals living off campus that have notified the university that they are quarantining.
If a student is having any symptoms, they are advised to reach out to NSU’s Telehealth line at (954) 262-4100, where they will be connected to a physician who will review their symptoms and, if needed, schedule a COVID-19 test on campus. Additionally, students can email COVIDcase@nova.edu to provide updates on their symptoms and test results, even if the results are still pending, and to get assigned a COVID-19 case manager to oversee the situation and offer assistance, if necessary. Emailing COVIDcase will also immediately provide students with the Telehealth number, as well as links to employee and graduate/professional student report forms, the undergraduate student form and the form to report exposures.
