Penn State Reports Low COVID-19 Positivity Rate Among Students Tested During Campus Move-In

Penn State reported a positivity rate of less than 1% among students who were tested for COVID-19 during move-in to campus residence halls last week at University Park.

Of the approximately 14,000 students who moved into dorms between Aug. 16 and Sunday, 2,639 were required to be tested because they did not submit proof of vaccination against COVID-19 to the university. Among those tested, 18 had confirmed positive results for a positivity rate of about 0.7%

Five employees also had confirmed positives out of 128 tested during the same period for a positivity rate of 3.9%

According to the university, 83% of students living on campus have provided proof of vaccination. Figures have not yet been released for the entire student population, which at University Park includes about 30,000 more undergraduate and graduate students who do not live on campus.

Students who tested positive upon arrival via rapid test could either return home or enter on-campus isolation for 10 days. They were directed to take a second, confirmatory test, which takes up to 48 hours to get results. A negative confirmatory test would allow them to leave isolation.

Unvaccinated students and employees are required to take COVID-19 tests on a weekly basis throughout the fall semester. Noncompliance can result in sanctions up to suspension or termination from the university.

Centre County remains at the substantial level for community transmission of COVID-19 — the second highest on the Centers for Disease Control scale — as of the CDC’s latest county-level data update on Tuesday afternoon.

Over the past week, the county has added 147 COVID-19 cases, as many as it had for the entire month of July. The past week’s cases included 49 in the State College and University Park zip codes of 16801, 16802 and 16803.

According to the DOH hospital preparedness dashboard, 21 COVID-19 patients are hospitalized in Centre County as of Tuesday morning, the most since May 4. One is in intensive care and none are on ventilators.

Centre County has had three COVID-19 deaths since the beginning of July and 230 total since the start of the pandemic, according to DOH.