Reports of positive cases of COVID-19 among faculty, staff and students at the University of Georgia dipped again last week.
Overall, 105 individuals reported positive tests through the DawgCheck system for February 8 – 14. Of those, 82 were students, 22 were staff, and one was a faculty member.
Surveillance tests were administered to 2,355 individuals at the Legion Field surveillance site. Of those tested, 31 yielded positive results for a positivity rate of 1.32 percent.
“We have experienced a steady decline in cases since the post-holiday surge back in mid-January,” said Dr. Garth Russo, executive director of the University Health Center and chair of UGA’s Medical Oversight Task Force. “I am very pleased to see this sustained, downward trend, which demonstrates that the health and safety measures we have put in place, such as social distancing and use of face coverings, are working. As a community, we must continue these best practices in order to keep COVID-19 at bay.”
The University Health Center and Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratories are meeting daily demand for testing with saliva-based testing that is free to faculty, staff and students.
The University reports test results on a weekly basis each Wednesday on the University Health Center website: https://uhs.uga.edu/healthtopics/covid-19-health-and-exposure-updates. The data consist of tests from four sources: (1) tests conducted through UGA’s surveillance testing program; (2) tests conducted at the University Health Center; (3) reports from Athens-area medical providers; and (4) reports of positive tests from other sources.
The University is maintaining a stock of nearly 500 rooms to accommodate isolation and quarantine housing, as needed. At present, 3.2 percent of the housing stock is in use.
The University of Georgia community consists of nearly 50,000 students, faculty and staff.
