Update on Pierce County COVID-19 community level
UW President Ana Mari Cauce and Provost Mark Richards recently sent messages to all UW staff and instructors and all UW students announcing spring quarter plans and updates to UW’s masking policy.
Among many important factors in UW’s decisions around COVID-19 planning, a couple stand out in particular for UW Tacoma. First, our campus leadership and university leadership agree that, if at all possible, we should stay unified as a tri-campus institution in our policies and planning.
Second, UW bases its planning on data from federal, state and county agencies. Recently, the U.S. CDC introduced a new set of metrics to track the community level of COVID-19 in each county in the U.S. The CDC works in partnership with the state Department of Health and with the health departments of each county in our region. The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department identified a discrepancy in the data CDC was using to characterize Pierce County’s COVID-19 community level.
The outcome is that TPCHD recently announced that, using the accurate data, Pierce County is now at the medium level of community spread for each of the three measures the CDC uses: 7-day case rate, 7-day COVID hospitalization admission rate and 7-day average COVID hospital bed utilization rate.
You can read more about TPCHD’s work to clarify Pierce County’s true community level here. And we urge you to review the resources available across the UW and here on the Tacoma campus as we continue our transition back to mostly in-person learning and work.
Thank you for all that you have been doing to keep UW Tacoma strong for the last two years. We look forward to seeing you on campus in spring quarter!
Recent news
Never More Alone, Never More Connected
Via Project AAPI Thrive, Nestor Enguerra, Jr., is working to bring Asian American and Pacific Islander students from the margins to the center of higher education.
Welcoming Dr. Amanda Walker, new Vice Chancellor for Advancement
After serving in similar roles at The Evergreen State College and Purchase College in New York State, Dr. Amanda Walker is ready to grow support for UW Tacoma's boundless ambitions.
Demystifying Artificial Intelligence with AI Sandbox
The Milgard Center for Business Analytics brings AI tools to students allowing for safe experimentation and a structured practice with varied levels of programs.
UW Tacoma in the News
Showcasing the Pacific Northwest: McKinstry Co. helped STEM find a new home at the University of Washington
Innovative systems in UW Tacoma's new Milgard Hall include custom-designed modular pods containing electrical, low-voltage, plumbing and mechanical systems such as lighting, fire detectors and sprinklers.
Johns Hopkins Welcomes Second Cohort of Vivien Thomas Scholars
Former student Arabelis Wally has received a prestigious fellowship at Johns Hopkins University that will support her graduate work. The Thomas Scholarship is awarded to "exceptional students from ... minority-serving institutions to pursue PhDs in STEM fields ... ."
Wildfire season in Washington state: How prescribed burns could reduce danger
Associate professor Maureen Kennedy gives an in-depth audio interview about the value of prescribed fires in reducing forest fuel loads to mitigate the severity of wildfires.