Going forward: How IUPUI is handling COVID-19

For students at IUPUI, this semester involved adjusting to changes such as remote learning, wearing masks and social distancing all while students continued to work toward their degrees and education.

As of November 8, the positivity rates among IUPUI students remained remarkably low. According to the IUPUI Coronavirus dashboard, eight positive cases were identified from the testing of 285 students in the residence halls and 13 were identified from the testing of 1,003 off-campus students. 

According to the IUPUI State of the Campus meeting, IUPUI’s positivity rate was at 0.5%, in comparison to Indiana’s overall positivity rate which is currently at 22% as of November 23.

“Our strategic priorities, our core values, and our people are the reasons we have been able to weather the COVID-19 crisis. They are the reasons that the state of our campus is as strong as it is today,” IUPUI Chancellor Nasser H. Paydar said. 

IUPUI has advanced their research opportunities and many faculty members and students are conducting research specific to the virus. Chancellor Payder explained the role that many departments have played in researching the virus in his State of the Campus Speech. 

“From early in the pandemic, the SAVI Coronavirus Data Hub, developed in our Polis Center, has served as an important resource for the state of Indiana as we have tracked the spread of the virus as well as its impact on families of Color. In addition, the School of Informatics and Computing, in partnership with the IU School of Medicine and IU Health, helped develop faster COVID-19 diagnostic tests for healthcare workers,” he said.

Recent presidential elect Joe Biden has also spoken of how he plans to combat the virus when he takes office. According to his website, he is planning to enforce a professional response to ensure safety and change.

“A decisive public health response that ensures the wide availability of free testing; the elimination of all cost barriers to preventive care and treatment for COVID-19; the development of a vaccine; and the full deployment and operation of necessary supplies, personnel, and facilities,” are a few examples of things that he hopes to accomplish according to his website. 

As the fall semester comes to a close, classes at IUPUI will switch to being taught remotely for the remainder of 2020. They will remain online until February 8. IUPUI staff and faculty have high hopes that this will continue to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. 

 

If you would like to listen or read listen to the State of the Campus speech, click here

To stay up to date with the IUPUI COVID-19 Testing Dashboard, click here

To see Indiana’s COVID-19 statistics, click here