For the second-straight week Penn State Athletics reported no positive COVID-19 test results following its latest round of testing, and will cease daily antigen testing on May 30th along with the rest of the Big Ten Conference.
“For the period of May 15-21, Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics conducted 92 COVID-19 tests of students with zero positive test results,” Penn State’s weekly testing report reads. “The testing numbers include the Big Ten’s daily antigen testing protocol, which began Sept. 30 and will conclude May 30. Beginning the period of May 22-28, the Intercollegiate Athletics reporting numbers will be included in the Penn State dashboard and will not be reported separately by Intercollegiate Athletics.”
The daily testing was funded by the conference.
Penn State Athletics managed to complete the majority of its competitive calendar amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic with relatively minimal interruptions, although several teams saw delays and cancelations of contests during their seasons because of positive COVID tests within the programs or among scheduled opponents.
Penn State football managed to play all nine scheduled games and was one of the few programs in the Big Ten to do so.
Overall Penn State experienced very few significant department-wide spikes with weekly testing numbers usually in the middle teens to low 20 with a few exceptions a long the way. Centre County added just eight new COVID-19 cases on Thursday while the state reported 941. In addition, various local COVID-19 guidelines continue to be relaxed as the vaccination effort across the state and country continues.
The department has yet to announce its attendance plans for Beaver Stadium this fall but as stadiums across the state and across the nation continue to trend towards full capacity, it seems increasingly likely that Penn State will follow in their wake. The city of Philadelphia is expecting full capacity for Eagles games this fall and is preparing for capacity crowds starting June 11th at the Wells Fargo Center if the Sixers were to advance to the second round of the NBA Playoffs. The city of Pittsburgh is following a similar model of reopening.
