Duke on Monday reported a cluster of six graduate student COVID-19 cases from a birthday party held at an off-campus apartment complex.
The cases are related to “recent travel and attendance” at a Feb. 15 birthday party held at the 810 Ninth Apartments in Durham, according to a news release. Contact tracers have identified people who might have been in close contact with the people who tested positive.
This is the fourth student cluster Duke has identified this academic year, the first in October 2020 among students in the Solis Brightleaf apartment complex. This was followed by a second at the Berkshire Ninth Street apartment complex Jan. 25 and a third at BullHouse Apartments Feb. 8.
A cluster is defined by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services as five or more linked COVID-19 cases taking place within a 14-day period.
The six infected students are now in isolation, and Duke has notified the Durham County Health Department.
This is a developing story and will be updated if more information becomes available.
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Maria Morrison was a digital strategy director for The Chronicle's 117th volume. She was previously managing editor for Volume 116.