Los Rios Chancellor Brian King tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week despite being fully vaccinated, Los Rios Deputy Chancellor Jamey Nye shared at City College’s fall 2021 convocation on Aug. 20.

King is starting to feel better and is recovering at home, according to an email from Gabe Ross, the district’s associate vice chancellor of strategy and communications.

Still, Nye said that King’s symptoms have been severe for a breakthrough case, and that his illness “underscore[s] the severity and stubbornness of this pandemic, and why the work to keep our students, faculty and staff safe is at the top of all of our minds.”

King’s illness follows Los Rios Community College District’s announcement that all students and staff who access district and college facilities must provide proof by Oct. 1 of having received their first COVID-19 vaccine dose. The district also announced that masks are required for all students and staff in any indoor space at Los Rios campuses or facilities, regardless of vaccination status.

“With the delta variant leading to a steep rise in cases and deaths in our area and around the country,” Nye said, “we believe the combination of the mask and vaccine requirements will go a long way to keeping everyone in our community healthy.”

More than 11,000 students and employees combined have submitted proof of their vaccination status to Los Rios’ new vaccination survey available within eServices, according to Nye.

“The goal is simple: Los Rios has the opportunity to lead by example and incentivize smart public health choices for our students and employees,” Nye said. “We need to do everything we can to keep one another safe.”