Chapman updates COVID-19 protocols for interterm and spring semester during Omicron surge

All Chapman University classes will be online for the first week of both interterm and the spring semester, and eligible students are required to receive a COVID-19 booster shot by Jan. 31 along with following revised testing protocols. Graphic by HARRY LADA, Art Director

When Chapman University students returned to campus last fall, known positive COVID-19 cases reached nearly 300 about a week and a half into the semester, but the university did not make any instructional changes in response.

Amid the spread of the Omicron variant, there are currently 184 known COVID-19 cases throughout the Chapman community as of Jan. 5, according to Chapman’s COVID-19 dashboard. This number reflects just the first two days of testing information since the return from winter break, but the university’s administration has new 2022 COVID-19 protocols in place to mitigate rising cases.

“Omicron is clearly here. The kind of rapid increase that we’re seeing — it’s unprecedented,” Sanghyuk Shin, an epidemiologist at the University of California, Irvine, told Voice of OC. “I’ve been doing infectious disease research for over 20 years now, and I haven’t seen any infection spread as rapidly as the Omicron variant is spreading now.”

In an attempt to reduce COVID-19 transmission, the nation has seen college campuses — like the University of Southern California and the majority of the University of California system — delaying the return to in-person instruction for the spring semester.

A Dec. 29 email announcement from President Daniele Struppa confirmed Chapman is following suit and requiring one week of online courses before students are allowed to return to the classroom for both interterm and the spring semester. All students will be required to complete two negative COVID-19 tests, taken at least 24 hours apart, during that first week in order to attend class on campus the second week. 

Students that complete the two-test requirement to attend an interterm class do not need to repeat the process to access campus for the spring semester. 

“Only 50% of the campus population will return in the first week of January, with the remaining students returning for the second semester near the end of the month,” an FAQ guide on the CU Safely Back website explains. “This allows for a phased return of our campus population, providing Student Health staff with a more manageable population to test.”

A Jan. 3 update from Struppa encourages the Chapman community to complete their COVID-19 testing requirement at the Orange or Rinker campus sites, though off-campus tests from an external provider or at-home kits may also be submitted online to gain campus access. In order to meet testing demands, Struppa also cautioned the Chapman community to reserve use of campus testing sites for fulfilling the university’s return-to-campus protocol.

“Due to the scarcity of COVID-19 tests, we ask all members of the Chapman community to limit weekly testing to the required two tests for both the return-to-campus requirement and the ongoing twice-weekly testing for those unvaccinated or without a booster,” Struppa wrote.

Additionally, all eligible students, faculty and staff are required to receive a COVID-19 booster shot and enter the information into Chapman’s system by Jan. 31. Those who do not wish to receive a booster shot may submit a declaration of declination form and begin twice-weekly COVID-19 testing to maintain campus access starting Feb. 1.

The Student Health Center will host two on-campus booster shot clinics Jan. 31 and Feb. 5.  The first clinic will last from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the tent in the parking lot behind the Student Health Center at 402 N. Glassell, and the second event will occur from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Orange Campus testing center at 145 W. Sycamore. 

Students will be able to create an appointment at the booster events — similar to Chapman’s previous vaccine clinics — but the booking system is not currently available.

COVID-19 booster shots are currently available for people 16 and older. The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna boosters are available to people six months after completion of the first doses, and the Johnson & Johnson booster is available two months after the initial dose. 

Although Chapman COVID-19 cases had previously stayed low during the appearance of the Omicron variant in California, the holiday season and colder weather has brought about an increase in COVID-19 cases as more people flock indoors, similar to last winter. 

“As we anticipated, Orange County COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are rising steeply due to increased gatherings and traveling over the holidays,” Clayton Chau, Orange County Health Care Agency Director, said in a Dec. 30 statement. “The risk of catching and spreading COVID-19 is extremely high during this time as more people are in close contact with one another. We ask that you please continue to exercise precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including limiting or avoiding gathering with others if possible.”

Between Dec. 23 and Dec. 29, the seven-day average COVID-19 case rate in Orange County jumped from 10.8 to 19 per 100,000 people, and the average number of daily COVID-19 cases rose from 348 to 614. The positivity rate also increased from 3.3% to 5.4%, hospitalizations lept from 229 to 376 and intensive care unit admissions rose from 54 to 72 per day.

As California's known COVID-19 cases reach 5 million, Orange County COVID-19 hospitalizations have doubled in late December, causing OC Health Care Agency’s Emergency Medical Services to suspend ambulance diversion.

“In the last eight days, COVID-19 hospitalizations have doubled from 188 to 376 in-patients,” Carl Schultz, medical director for the county’s emergency services division, wrote in a Dec. 29 statement. “Diversion hours have increased to over 200 per day … Should this continue, the capabilities of (emergency services) providers to rapidly respond to emergencies could be placed in jeopardy.”

The OC Health Care Agency reported the first case of Omicron in Orange County Dec. 17. The highly contagious variant is evident in 50% to 70% of new coronavirus cases in some parts of California.

As Chapman students comply with the university’s updated testing guidelines over the next few weeks, Chapman’s COVID-19 dashboard will offer a picture of the COVID-19 case rates at the university, which may determine administration’s next course of action. 

Testing center hours have been updated to give all students, faculty and staff the opportunity to get tested. The Panther has compiled these times below, and a schedule can also be found on the CU Safely Back website.

Updated Testing Hours

Orange Campus:

145 Sycamore Avenue, (behind the Student Health Center)

• Jan. 3 to Jan. 7: Monday to Thursday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed from 12:00 p.m. to 1 p.m.)

• Jan. 30: 10:00 a.m. to 4:00pm

• Jan. 31 to Feb. 4: Monday to Thursday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed from 12:00 p.m. to 1 p.m.)

• February 7 onward: Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (closed 12:00 p.m. to 1 p.m.)

Rinker Campus:

First-floor lobby of 9501 Jeronimo Road

• Jan. 3 to Jan. 7: Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• Jan. 31 to Feb. 4 only: Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• February 7 onward: Monday and Wednesday 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. will resume