Campus News

Reports of COVID-19 remain low

Reports of COVID-19 at the University of Georgia remain low, with 32 individuals reporting positive tests for the week of March 15-21. The number—a decrease of one from the previous week—sets a new record for the lowest amount recorded since UGA began surveillance testing in August.

Of those who reported positive tests through the DawgCheck system, 25 were students and seven were staff members. No faculty cases were reported.

Surveillance tests were administered to 1,143 individuals at the Legion Field surveillance site and in a satellite location. Of those tested, nine yielded positive results for a positivity rate that remained below 1 percent at .79 percent.

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, only 1 percent of the housing stock is in use.

The University of Georgia community consists of nearly 50,000 students, faculty and staff.