PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Rhode Island’s coronavirus transmission rate continues to rise, and is now up to 85 new cases per 100,000 people over the past seven days, according to data released Friday by the state Department of Health.
Rhode Island currently has “substantial transmission” of the virus, but if the rate exceeds 100 new cases per 100,000 people over a seven-day span, the designation would move to “high transmission,” per Centers for Disease Control and Prevention standards.
The department also reported more than 150 new confirmed cases — the third consecutive day of more than 150 new cases — and the state’s first virus-related death in more than a week.
More than 657,000 people in the state have now been fully vaccinated against the disease.
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JOHNSON & WALES VACCINES
Johnson & Wales University has announced that all faculty and staff will be required to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus for the fall semester.
“To create a safer, healthier campus environment for all, the university is now requiring all faculty and staff to be fully vaccinated,” the school said in a statement Thursday. “Faculty and staff must have received at least one dose of the vaccine by August 30, the first day of classes, and must have received all manufacturer-recommended doses of the vaccine by September 30.”
Proof must be provided to Human Resources. Faculty and staff who work fully remotely are not required to be vaccinated but are strongly encouraged to get a shot.
Religious and medical exemptions will be considered.
The school previously announced that students are required to get vaccinated in order to return to campus for the fall semester.
Also Thursday, the university recommended that everyone wear a face covering indoors in line with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance to maximize protection from the delta variant.
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Follow AP’s coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic.
