May 30 COVID-19 update

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Don’t let your guard down

As you will see from the COVID-19 report in the next section, it has become clear over the last week that many community members are not following the Keeping KAUST Safe guidelines around KAUST or while attending group events.

It remains vital that everyone adhere to the Keeping KAUST Safe guidelines to ensure we don’t expose our community to greater risk. If we become complacent and the number of positive cases remains high or increases, we may have to revert back to more restrictions to keep the community safe.

Remember:

  • Wear a face covering, correctly over mouth and nose – even outside if you are not physically distanced (closer than 1.5m)
  • Keep physical distance where possible
  • Wash or sanitize your hands frequently
  • Ensure you follow the guidelines and get approval from Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) if you are hosting an event

May 30 COVID-19 update

As of May 30 at 8:15 a.m., there were 18 new positive cases of COVID-19 confirmed at KAUST since the last bulletin (published on May 23, 2021). This is three more than shown in the report as although they were reported in last 7 days, the swabs were taken more than 7 days ago.

  • Thirteen of the cases had mild symptoms and either presented to KAUST Health or were tested in Jeddah
  • There were multiple instances of cases being from within the same household
  • Eleven of the cases had either had a single dose or two doses of vaccine
  • This resulted in almost 90 additional quarantines

All positive cases remain in quarantine and contact tracing has been completed.
For the most up-to-date information, please check the KAUST COVID-19 Dashboard

The 14-day positivity rate* at KAUST is currently unavailable** as of May 30, 2021.

We’d like to thank all community members for practicing physical distancing, the wearing of face coverings, hand washing and adherence to the Keeping KAUST Safe guidelines.

If you have symptoms, please stay home and call KAUST Health at 012 808 0940.

* Positivity rate = % of positive tests returned from the total number of tests taken during a 14-day period. Excludes where the result is still pending or the swab was rejected.
** This rate will only be displayed if the number of tests conducted achieves a given significant threshold (724 tests). Over the past 14-day period, 423 tests were conducted, with 26 positive cases.


Weekly COVID-19 screening – Week 2

Week 1 of testing was completed on Saturday May 29 and today (May 30) marks the beginning week 2.

Anyone who has yet to have a single dose of vaccine, or who has not informed KAUST that they have, should receive an email with details of the new weekly COVID-19 screening program (through a Rapid Antigen test).

It is important to follow the instructions within this email and to inform KAUST if you have had a vaccine – please do so by completing this short form.

The current number of eligible unvaccinated individuals in KAUST is 784 or 12.6%.


MoH monthly COVID-19 screening

During the week of June 6 to June 10, the MoH will be visiting KAUST to complete the monthly screening program using a RT-PCR on throat swab samples.

The entire KAUST population (over 18) is required to participate in this testing program whether you are vaccinated or not.

Further details and booking information will be provided later this week.


New travel announcement

Following the weekend announcement about travel to the Kingdom from 11 previously banned countries (for non-citizens) the Keeping KAUST website has been updated with the most up to date information which can be found here.

Please be aware that whilst direct travel to the Kingdom from these destinations may have opened, the previously communicated travel requirements and quarantine remain in place with the existing parameters.


See the most up-to-date information about KAUST COVID-19 cases anytime by clicking on the button below or visiting – hse.kaust.edu.sa

Kindly note: Dashboard content is auto-generated on a rolling seven-day basis. 

Where to turn when you need to know

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