But it’s not only our dorms, it’s our very own arena. I’ve even talked to different RAs when they don’t have masks on. Yet we’re as cautious with the Omicron variant as we were with the initial wave in 2020, despite the vast amount of vaccinations and the lower number of hospitalizations of the vaccinated and people between the ages of 18-29.ĭo I have to acknowledge the obvious and say scores of people on campus don’t follow the rules in dorms anyway? I’ve seen countless students on my floor, and on floors of my friends not wearing masks, whether in the hallway, laundry room or even in the elevator. According to the Duquesne dashboard, 99% of the student population has been compliant with the Covid-19 vaccine policy. With the 93% vaccination mark, the Duquesne student population is past the point of herd immunity, according to statistics and should be granted a loosened mask mandate.īut it’s not only the mandates, this is also about compliance with the mandates. I think the real range is somewhere between 70 to 90%.” Fauci told the New York Times in December “We really don’t know what the real number is. For example, Mayo Clinic, says herd immunity is feasible if 70% of the population is vaccinated, while Yale Medicine says “it’s now estimated to be higher-some say up to 85%.” Even Dr. Many sources differ on their threshold for herd immunity. I’m never going to say to take the North Carolinian approach and get rid of masks entirely at every public event, though the number of cases are steadily declining, not only in Allegheny County, but in all of Pennsylvania.ĭuquesne students should at least be allowed to take off the mask in their dorms or while actively running around in the gym or basketball court. My step-brother plays lacrosse at a small private school for Lees McRae College in North Carolina, and masks are only required in classrooms but aren’t mandated in hallways, gyms, etc. At the University of Delaware, masks are required at all indoor facilities with the only exception being students actively running around the gym. However, neither states has as many mandates as Duquesne. 31 statistics.Īs someone whose family is split between the states of North Carolina and Delaware, I’ve been in two completely different environments when it comes to Covid policy. At Duquesne, 93% of resident students are vaccinated, and in some cases boosted, too, as of Jan. With that said, students haven’t been playing around with the virus, an overwhelming amount of them have obtained vaccines and boosters ever since they were available. We’ve seen numerous anti-vaxxers lose their lives to something that is completely avoidable by simply receiving a vaccine, but unfortunately they decided to downplay Covid’s lethality - and got punished for it. While roughhousing with my older brother, my Mom often used the saying: “Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.” Throughout this pandemic, this country has seen this saying come true with countless examples of people playing the game Cat & Mouse with Covid-19.

Play a stupid game win a stupid prize