This message was sent to the Rockefeller community from the Office of the Executive Vice President on November 12, 2021 at 4:39 p.m.
Subject: COVID cases on campus

Dear members of the Rockefeller community,

I am writing to let everyone know that the RU Strong testing program identified 4 positive cases of COVID in yesterday’s samples. This is the first time since January that 4 positive cases were identified on one day of testing. Thankfully, I am not aware of any of the cases being associated with serious illness, nor is there any likelihood of transmission occurring on campus. One of the cases was an unvaccinated child in the CFC while the other three cases were adults who had been vaccinated last winter.

The decline in positive cases in NYC that has been evident since August also appears to have leveled off and possibly begun to increase again.

I encourage everyone to continue best practices in terms of social distancing and wearing face masks. *It is also important to get a booster shot.* The Occupational Health Services (OHS) office has booster shots available and sent an email a little while ago with more details. The NY State Department of Health has indicated that all university employees are eligible for booster doses as long as they are over 18 years old and one of the following criteria is met:

• It has been at least 6 months since the second dose in a primary series of Moderna or Pfizer COVID-19 mRNA vaccine
• It has been at least 2 months since the Janssen (J&J) vaccine

You can schedule an appointment for a booster shot at OHS using the online scheduler.

Please take care of yourselves and each other. Be well,

Tim

Timothy P. O’Connor, PhD

Executive Vice President

The Rockefeller University