Photo courtesy: Glenn Beil/FAMU Office of CommunicationsRoom
For months students and faculty at Florida A&M University have been mostly successful
staying away from COVID-19, but now officials say that the virus is making a comeback
on campus. Within the past few weeks, numerous COVID-19 cases have been reported
throughout campus.
With students returning to campus after spring break and the seasons beginning to
change, the risk of catching the diseases on campus is higher than it’s been in quite
some time.
Tanya Tatum, director of Student Health Services, is well aware of the recent spike in
new cases.
“We have seen a very quick spike in COVID-19 cases on campus. We typically expect
this a few weeks after students leave campus to go home or vacation during breaks,”
Tatum said. “This is about the period and time for cases to start and show up.”
Some students have begun to take caution while participating in on-campus activities
held throughout the spring semester.
Miss FAMU, senior Aliya Everett, shared her concerns about the virus making its return
to campus.
“Right now, I don’t feel that safe on campus, not because of the university as they can
only do so much. I don’t trust people to stay home when they have COVID because I’ve
known people to have it and still go out in public,” Everett said. “It’s like they don’t take it
seriously.”
Some students have begun to adhere to personal protocols of their own that help them
stay safe in busy environments.
Senior Kalie Nash spoke about protocols that she follows to stay safe. “A lot of my
protocols come with maintaining a healthy immune system. If I do the right things like
taking vitamins and updating my immunity shots and boosters. It doesn’t stop me from
catching everything but, for me, it’s that extra shield of protection against the COVID-19
virus,” Nash said.
According to The New York Times’ COVID-19 tracker, throughout Leon County, 7.6% of
citizens are testing positive daily for the virus and so far in 2023, the positivity test rate
is above 20%.
Students who stay on campus have voiced mixed feelings about their safety while
dealing with the recent spike of the virus.
Freshman Hannah Kirby spoke about her concern about the spike, “By living on the
campus of course there’s a high possibility of contracting the virus, but I feel like it’s no
different if I lived off campus because of me being on campus for classes or other off-
campus events in spaces where I can contract the virus, so I just try to follow protocols
and stay in my lane,” Kirby said.
The FAMU vaccination site is open Monday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30
p.m. and is located at 2507 Wahnish Way.