For the second consecutive semi-weekly update, Penn State reported a decline in the number of new COVID-19 positives among students attending the University Park campus.
The 86 new cases in the university’s COVID-19 dashboard on Tuesday are the fewest reported in a Penn State update since Sept. 1. They bring the campus community’s total to 3,968 since Aug. 7, including 13 employee cases.
Only 173 of the total cases are still considered active.
While Penn State’s new cases — and consequently Centre County’s — have grown at a slower rate than in September, hospitalizations at Mount Nittany Medical Center have been higher, with a daily COVID patient census regularly in the double digits for the second half of October. Statewide, new cases reported daily over the past two weeks have routinely surpassed Pennsylvania’s previous highs set in April.
“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, said in a statement. “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.’
From Friday through Sunday, on-demand testing yielded 26 student positives from 312 completed tests. Two positives resulted from 466 completed random screening tests with another 285 still pending.
An additional 58 student positives — 43 from on-demand tests and 15 from random screening — were reported from tests that were previously pending for the week of Oct. 23-29. For that week, there was a total of 185 positives — 153 from 1,832 completed on-demand tests and 32 from 3,111 completed random screening tests.
No new employee cases were reported on Tuesday.
Weekly results of Penn State student COVID-19 testing as of Nov. 2, 2020.
According to the updated dashboard, 48 students are currently in on-campus isolation and 67 are in on-campus quarantine. University Park has 250 rooms available for isolation, 150 for quarantine and another 140 available if needed. Students may also isolate and quarantine at home or if they have suitable space off-campus residence, according to the university.
