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86 More University Park Students Test Positive For Coronavirus

Eighty-six more University Park students have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to the latest update to Penn State’s COVID-19 Dashboard Tuesday.

The university administered 751 student random surveillance tests between October 30 and November 1, resulting in two positives, 461 negatives, and 285 pending tests. Meanwhile, Penn State performed 313 on-demand tests in that span, which yielded 26 positives, 286 negatives, and one pending test.

A large number of Tuesday’s added positives appear to be from tests that were previously pending before the update. Last Friday, more than 300 students were awaiting results.

According to the dashboard’s update, 67 students are currently in on-campus quarantine, while 48 are in on-campus isolation.

Since testing began on August 7, Penn State has found 3,955 student coronavirus cases at University Park out of 57,232 administered tests. Additionally, 13 employees have tested positive so far.

According to the dashboard, 173 student cases remain active at University Park, while 3,822 are inactive. All employee cases are inactive.

It’s worth noting Penn State defines “inactive” as any case that’s more than 10 days old. At this time, it’s unclear how many inactive cases, if any, have actually tested negative and are truly dormant.

Tuesday’s report reflects a new record low of reported positives in a dashboard update since September 1. However, administrators are imploring students to continue following guidelines and prioritizing safety before they head home later this month.

“While our positive test numbers have been holding relatively steady in recent weeks, rising case counts across Pennsylvania and the nation illustrate that we could very quickly begin trending in the wrong direction if we are not careful,” Kelly Wolgast, director of Penn State’s COVID-19 Operations Control Center (COCC), said. “As we approach the end of the in-person portion of the fall semester, we ask our community to continue to remain committed to wearing masks, avoiding large gatherings, staying physically distant, practicing good hygiene, and following all guidelines.”

Penn State plans to update the dashboard with new testing statistics twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays. The tool incorporates data random surveillance testing, symptomatic testing, and self-reported testing through University Health Services or Occupational Medicine.

Penn State’s data and Pennsylvania’s Department of Health data may vary due to lag between test collection and test results from various labs.

Throughout the semester, the university plans to randomly test at least 1% of its population each day at designated locations around campus, including the Bryce Jordan Center and Eisenhower Auditorium. Students can also receive free walk-up testing at Pegula Ice Arena from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

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About the Author

Matt DiSanto

Matt proudly served as Onward State’s managing editor for two years until graduating from Penn State with distinction in May 2022. Now, he’s off in the real world doing real things. Send him an email (mattdisanto86@gmail.com) or follow him on Twitter (@mattdisanto_) to stay in touch.

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