Dear Washington University Community,
I’m writing to you this afternoon with news I hoped I wouldn’t have to share. However, I’ve learned within the past 24 hours that four members of our university community have tested positive for COVID-19.
Without sharing many details, to protect the privacy of our community members, I can tell you that two of the individuals who have tested positive are physicians at the School of Medicine. These physicians are not currently working with patients and are quarantined. We’re working as diligently and quickly as possible with public health officials who are focused on identifying and communicating with anyone who may have had contact with the physicians.
The other two cases are undergraduate students who had been participating in a study abroad program in Denmark. We have been advised that they also tested positive for COVID-19. Both students are in quarantine out-of-state and are receiving care. They did not return to campus before traveling to their current location.
While this news is certainly troubling, and we are concerned for our employees and students, it is not entirely unexpected that we would have cases confirmed in our community. This is something we’ve been preparing for as the virus has continued to spread and as testing has become more readily available, and we have plans in place for responding. We are prepared to make necessary accommodations for our students and employees impacted by COVID-19 and, of course, we have some of the best physicians in the world to help manage patient care.
I want to reassure you that we are doing all we can to reduce the risk of further spread of the virus within our community. With most students and many employees living and working away from campus, we are continuing to take all necessary precautions to keep our community safe.
We’ll share additional information as updates are available. The latest updates will be posted on our COVID-19 information page. Please continue to take care of yourselves during this difficult time.
Sincerely,
Andrew D. Martin
Chancellor