THE
VOLUME LXXX, ISSUE 26
INDEPENDENT
STUDENT
N E W S PA P E R
OF
TUFTS
UNIVERSITY
E S T. 1 9 8 0
T HE T UFTS DAILY
MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, MASS.
tuftsdaily.com
Wednesday, October 21, 2020
Somerville sees rise in COVID-19 cases, enters red category by Alicia Zou Staff Writer
The City of Somerville recently entered the “higher risk” zone for COVID-19 cases, with an average of 8.2 new cases per 100,000 people, according to Massachusetts’ COVID-19 Community-Level Data Map. Medford remains in the “moderate risk” category, with an average of 6.7 new cases per 100,000 people, based on the same data. The state deems cities and towns with over eight daily cases per 100,000 people as higher risk or in the red category and between four and eight daily cases per 100,000 people as moderate risk or in the yellow category. Tufts’ relatively few cases of COVID-19 have contributed little to the categorization of Somerville and Medford, according to Somerville Mayor
Joe Curtatone, Medford Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn and University Infection Control Health Director Dr. Michael Jordan. Curtatone addressed how the university’s response to the pandemic, despite initial concerns, has minimized the spread of COVID-19. “The university listened to those concerns and made changes to the campus plan … the result was an even stronger program that has worked to date … to curtail our community spread,” Curtatone said. Lungo-Koehn shared how Medford constituents have seen Tufts students following proper precautions and health guidelines. “Most of the times I hear about Tufts students or if people see Tufts students walking to see RED, page 2
AIDAN CHANG / THE TUFTS DAILY
Davis Square in Somerville, Mass. is pictured on Oct. 15
Career Center adapts career fairs to an online format, maintains student engagement by Ria Agarwal
Contributing Writer
The Career Center has worked to adopt new strategies of maintaining employer-student engagement, after its career fairs transitioned to an online format. Though the fairs have had to satisfy new standards surrounding a virtual platform, the Center has continued to see high rates of attendance. While career fairs normally involve hundreds of employer stands spread across the Gantcher Center, this semester’s virtual
events utilized Handshake’s Virtual Fair tool, which was launched this summer in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to participate in the fair, students needed to register for the event and sign up for 10-minute time slots with employers. Students could choose between one-on-one or group employer sessions and could only attend sessions they signed up for, according to Robin Kahan, associate director of engineering career services. Sue Atkins, the associate director of employer relations,
explained that Tufts usually holds large career fairs in the fall and spring, which host 200 and 160 employers, respectively. Atkins added that the number of employers at each virtual fair is significantly lower to accommodate the new format. In an effort to provide a similar number of employers to its in-person activities, the Career Center has planned to host more events than usual. “With this new virtual format, the recommended number of see FAIRS, page 2
SEOHYUN SHIM / THE TUFTS DAILY
The Tufts Career Center is pictured on Jan. 21, 2017.
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Mass. requires flu vaccinations for college students, Tufts urges quick compliance by Katie Furey and Saya Ameli Hajebi Contributing Writers
Before the coronavirus pandemic became all the talk at Tufts, there was another virus that worried students — the flu. Like every year, the flu is expected to arrive on campus in late fall and winter. However, unlike COVID-19, there is a vaccine for the flu, and for the first time, students are required to receive it. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health released a statement in August requiring all students attending college in Massachusetts to receive the influenza vaccination annually. In-person students are required to receive the influenza vaccination by Dec. 31, 2020, but Tufts Health Service is asking that students be vaccinated by Nov. 19, 2020. Students who receive their vaccination from a pharmacy or primary care provider must upload documentation of their immunization to their patient portal, while students who are vaccinated at a Tufts flu vaccine clinic will have their information automatically updated.
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Those who wish to apply for medical or religious exemption must complete an online form through Health Service. Michelle Bowdler, executive director of health and wellness at Tufts Health Service, encourages students to get vaccinated as soon as possible and wherever is most convenient. “We are strongly encouraging anybody who happens to be in Davis Square … to just go to a local pharmacy with your insurance card. The vast majority of insurances cover the flu vaccine as a preventative,” Bowdler said. Vaccinations through Tufts are available with an appointment between Oct. 20 and Nov. 14. A full schedule of clinic dates and appointment registration links can be found in an Oct. 13 email sent to students. Mark Woodin, senior lecturer in the Department of Public Health and Community Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine, said Tufts is making the flu vaccine easily accessible for students this fall, but he noted that it may not have been a requirement withsee VACCINE, page 3 NEWS
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