Dartmouth president tests positive for COVID-19

HANOVER — Dartmouth College President Phil Hanlon and his wife, Gail Gentes, have tested positive for COVID-19, the college announced on Sunday. 

They tested positive using rapid antigen tests on Sunday morning. Gentes was “a bit under the weather,” she said in the college’s online announcement. But Hanlon was feeling fine.

Both had negative PCR tests last Thursday. 

The couple is abiding by the college’s protocols and will isolate at home. Hanlon is working remotely. Dartmouth requires that people isolate for at least five days following a positive test. The college also requires that people wear face masks in public and avoid dining in groups for 10 days following a positive test.

“The positive test is a reminder that we all should continue to take seriously the public health guidelines and stay up to date on our booster shots,” Hanlon said in the announcement.

Axiom Medical, the college’s occupational medicine provider, will conduct contact tracing following the couple’s positive tests, the announcement said.

As of Friday, there had been 346 new cases of COVID-19 on campus, including 174 undergraduates, 61 graduate students and 111 employees.

Throughout the pandemic, there have been no reported cases of students, faculty or staff needing hospitalization as a result of contracting the virus.

In the Upper Valley, both New Hampshire’s Grafton — where Hanover sits — and Sullivan counties have “high” levels of COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s metrics.

At that level, as measured by case counts and hospitalizations, the CDC recommends that everyone wear masks in public indoor places, regardless of their individual level of risk or vaccination levels. 

Vermont’s Orange and Windsor counties have “medium” levels of COVID-19, according to the CDC. At that level, the agency recommends that people at high risk of serious illness consult their health care provider about whether or not to wear a mask in public.

Nora Doyle-Burr can be reached at ndoyleburr@vnews.com or 603-727-3213.