Friday, March 29, 2024
Home » News » Local & Penn State Sports » Penn State Athletics Reports 23 COVID-19 Positives Following Latest Round of Testing

Penn State Athletics Reports 23 COVID-19 Positives Following Latest Round of Testing

Twenty-three more Penn State student-athletes have tested positive for COVID-19, according to Penn State Athletics’ weekly testing report.

Between March 20 and 26 the department administered 2,086 tests, resulting in 23 new positives.

Wednesday’s reported figures bring Athletics’ cumulative positive tests to 380 since testing began over the summer. Penn State has performed 46,271 tests since student-athletes returned to campus.

Penn State Athletics’ most recent pause has come from women’s volleyball. The Nittany Lions were forced to end their regular season early when they cancelled consecutive series against Wisconsin and Nebraska “out of an abundance of caution.”

Although Penn State hasn’t confirmed it, Wisconsin alleged the cancellation stemmed from COVID-19 cases within the Nittany Lions’ program. It’s unclear if the reported outbreak also led to this week’s cancellation of the series with the Cornhuskers. 

Each student-athlete who’s tested positive to date has entered a 14-day isolation period before undergoing additional tests and resuming organized activities. When positives are reported, Penn State said it will also implement contact tracing to identify individuals who may have crossed paths with those affected. Identified individuals will also be quarantined, even if they’re asymptomatic.

“The health and safety of our student-athletes, coaches, staff and the broader community are of the utmost importance,” Athletics said in a statement. “We expect our student-athletes to follow University requirements and guidelines for limiting the spread of COVID-19, including wearing masks, practicing social distancing, washing their hands regularly and not gathering in large groups.”

Penn State Athletics reports updated student-athlete coronavirus testing data every Wednesday.