This Week’s New Cases: 1
The number of new, confirmed cases of COVID-19 among students, faculty, staff and regular contractors for the week of Saturday, Oct. 16, through Friday, Oct. 22.
View previous weeks’ data.
14-Day Positive Rate: 0.10%
The percentage of students, faculty, staff and regular contractors who tested positive for COVID-19 between Saturday, Oct. 9, and Friday, Oct. 22.
How we calculate the 14-day positive rate.
Comprehensive Test & Case Data
Fall 2021 Baseline Test Results
All students, faculty and staff were tested at least twice for COVID-19 near the start of the term. How to interpret this data.
| Total Tests | Positive Results | Test Positivity Rate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 (9/7-9/14) | 2,769 | 1 | 0.04% |
| Round 2 (9/17-9/24) | 2,698 | 4 | 0.15% |
Carleton-Administered Test Results
This table reflects all tests conducted by Carleton College, including baseline student and employee testing, surveillance testing, symptomatic testing, and contact-related testing. Test counts align with the test collection date. How to interpret this data.
| Week | Total Tests | Positive Results | Test Positivity Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 8/14-Fri 8/20 | 150 | 0 | 0.00% |
| Sat 8/21-Fri 8/27 | 268 | 1 | 0.37% |
| Sat 8/28-Fri 9/3 | 384 | 1 | 0.26% |
| Sat 9/4-Fri 9/10 | 1,792 | 1 | 0.06% |
| Sat 9/11-Fri 9/17 | 1,649 | 1 | 0.06% |
| Sat 9/18-Fri 9/24 | 2,501 | 4 | 0.16% |
| Sat 9/25-Fri 10/1 | 420 | 0 | 0.00% |
| Sat 10/2-Fri 10/8 | 420 | 0 | 0.00% |
| Sat 10/9-Fri 10/15 | 713 | 2 | 0.28% |
| Sat 10/16-Fri 10/22 | 722 | 1 | 0.14% |
New Cases & Positive Rates
This table is updated on Fridays with the current week’s data. It reflects the number of new cases and the 14-day positive rate, calculated weekly. How to interpret this data.
| New Cases | 14-Day Positive Rate | |
|---|---|---|
| Sat 8/14-Fri 8/20 | 0 | N/A |
| Sat 8/21-Fri 8/27 | 3 | N/A |
| Sat 8/28-Fri 9/3 | 3 | N/A |
| Sat 9/4-Fri 9/10 | 1 | N/A |
| Sat 9/11-Fri 9/17 | 1 | 0.07% |
| Sat 9/18-Fri 9/24 | 4 | 0.17% |
| Sat 9/25-Fri 10/1 | 2 | 0.21% |
| Sat 10/2-Fri 10/8 | 1 | 0.10% |
| Sat 10/9-Fri 10/15 | 2 | 0.10% |
| Sat 10/16-Fri 10/22 | 1 | 0.10% |
Rice County
Current Situation
The latest information from Rice County regarding the number of cases and the current situation in our area.
Minnesota
Situation Update
The latest information from the Minnesota Department of Health, including case trends, testing data, demographics, and a public dashboard.
United States
CDC COVID Data Tracker
The latest information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including interactive and visualized data, weekly reports, and mathematical modeling.
Decision-Making Framework
Carleton is continuously monitoring the public health metrics of the campus in the context of county, state, and national data. We have identified the following decision-making framework to help describe potential transmission scenarios and the mitigation efforts the College could implement using the 14-day positive rate as a primary measure.
As we’ve learned since the beginning of the pandemic, COVID-19 continues to evolve, and subsequently, we may change or amend specific actions as public health guidance and recommendations are updated, new testing technologies emerge, and we implement learnings from others in higher education.
Potential Mitigation Strategies Based on the 14-Day Positive Rate
| | <1% | 1-2% | 2-3% | 3-4% | 4-5% | >5% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masking (after initial 4 weeks) | Optional; if masking is not required, conduct 3 weeks of random surveillance testing | Optional; if masking is not required, conduct 4 weeks of random surveillance testing | Required indoors (except for students in their own residence hall room or house) | Required indoors (except for students in their own residence hall room or house) | Required indoors (except for students in their own residence hall room or house) | Required indoors (except for students in their own residence hall room or house) |
| Testing of Higher-Risk Groups | Required | Required | Required | Required | Required | Required |
| Surveillance Testing | 3 weeks required if masking mandate is removed | 4 weeks required if masking mandate is removed | Not required as long as masking is in place | Random surveillance testing | Increased sample size of random surveillance testing | Full population testing |
| In-Person Gatherings | No restrictions | No restrictions | No restrictions | Consider limiting large indoor gatherings | Limit large indoor gatherings | Limit large indoor gatherings; limit visits between dorms |
| Dining | No restrictions | No restrictions | No restrictions | Grab and Go encouraged | Grab and Go strongly encouraged | Grab and Go and reduced dining density required |
Impacts to Residential Life| No restrictions | No restrictions | Masks required indoors except for students in their own residence hall room or house | Masks required indoors except for students in their own residence hall room or house | Masks required indoors except for students in their own residence hall room or house; visits between residence halls may be restricted | Masks required indoors except for students in their own residence hall room or house; visits between residence halls significantly restricted |
|
| Off-Campus Travel | No restrictions | No restrictions | Consider limiting off-campus travel | Limit off-campus travel | Limit off-campus travel | No off-campus travel |
| Visitors | Allowed with masking | Allowed with masking | Allowed with masking | Allowed with masking; indoor dining may be restricted for visitors | Only essential visitors | No visitors; essential contractors allowed |
Interpreting this Data
- The dashboard is updated on Fridays by 5 p.m. Central Time.
- Test and case counts align with the test collection date. When results for the current week are returned after 5 p.m. on a Friday, the current week’s tables on the dashboard will be updated as we receive new results.
- The number of new cases is tallied weekly and reflects known confirmed positives among all Carleton students, faculty, staff, and regular contractors who are living, learning, or working on campus. This number includes cases of COVID-19 confirmed through testing outside of Carleton.
- The 14-day positive rate is the percentage of students, faculty, staff and regular contractors who have tested positive for COVID-19 over a 14-day period. This rate includes cases of COVID-19 confirmed through testing outside of Carleton. We are using a total campus population of 2,920 to calculate this rate for Fall Term 2021.
- All students, faculty, staff and regular contractors underwent two rounds of baseline testing in the month of September. The first round was conducted Sept. 7-14, and the second round took place Sept. 17-24. Random surveillance testing began Oct. 11.
Looking for data from the 2020-21 academic year?
View the archived dashboard.