URI continued to see elevated cases of COVID-19 during the week of Dec. 5 to Dec. 11, with 61 positive cases identified through URI testing (55 students, 6 faculty/staff/affiliate) and 12 additional positive student cases reported through outside testing. The incidence rate among unvaccinated members of the community continues to be elevated and is ~ 3.5 times higher than that of vaccinated community members.  A majority of the positive student cases, 51 of 67, occurred among off-campus students. 

Weekly Results

Weekly tests:	3,641 tests through URI Health Services, including 416 symptomatic tests.
Positive cases:	61 positive cases from URI testing, 12 additional cases reported to URI from external testing, 13 unvaccinated, 60 vaccinated.
Weekly Positivity:	7-day positivity rate of 1.9%, up slightly from 1.6% during the prior week.  This remains below the Rhode Island positivity rate of ~5.1% for the same period.
Incidence:	The incidence of positive cases among members of our community with an approved medical/religious vaccination exemption remains high this week, at 1,185 per 100,000. The 7-day incidence rate of COVID-19 among the vaccinated URI population was 329 per 100,000 during this period. The state 7-day incidence for this period was ~620 cases per 100,000.

We strongly encourage all community members to become vaccinated, and when eligible, to get a booster dose. COVID-19 vaccines are widely available, safe, limit the transmission of the virus, and have been shown to dramatically reduce the chances of serious illness and/or death related to a COVID-19 infection. 

It is strongly recommended that all members of our community, regardless of vaccination status, participate in weekly surveillance testing. Asymptomatic testing is available at no cost on weekdays. Testing information is available here.

Visit the URI COVID-19 Tracker for detailed information from our testing program.  The dashboard is updated daily as results become available.