11/30/2020 - New COVID-19 cases reported to Caltech

From: Jennifer Howes, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Wellness
Re: New COVID-19 cases reported to Caltech

Over the holiday weekend, Student Wellness Services (SWS) was informed of three individuals from the Caltech community who have tested positive for COVID-19:

• A staff member who was last on campus on October 29;
• A staff member who was last on campus on October 30;
• And a graduate student who lives out of state and has never accessed campus.

All affected individuals are now isolating at home. In coordination with the Pasadena Public Health Department (PPHD), SWS will identify and notify anyone in the campus community who may have had close contact with each of these individuals. Anyone found to be at risk of exposure will be provided specific instructions for quarantining and isolation.

This brings the total number of reported COVID-19 cases among members of the Caltech campus community and off-campus facilities to 41. Please note that with the introduction of surveillance testing of individuals reporting to campus on November 30, we anticipate that the number of identified cases may increase, reflecting not an increase of actual cases but rather an increase in detection.

None of the known cases in the Caltech community appear to be the result of epidemiologically linked community transmission. Individual health information is confidential and we ask all members of the community to be respectful of those privacy rights.

Please remember that we must all continue do our part to mitigate the spread of COVID-19:

• Notify SWS if you have been exposed to anyone with a positive test for COVID-19;
• Stay home if you are ill or have a fever;
• Use the Caltech COVID-19 Reporting application on the days you are scheduled to be on site;
• Wear a cloth face covering; and
• Maintain appropriate physical distance from others on campus.

More information about Caltech's response to the pandemic can be found on the Caltech coronavirus website. Reports of illness, testing metrics, and confirmed case counts can be found on a dedicated dashboard that is updated by 2 p.m. PDT each weekday. Please note that JPL tracks COVID-19 cases separately and is not included in these data.