Public dashboard allows for tracking of COVID-19
As part of its $4 million effort to test all students, faculty and employees before the fall semester begins Aug. 26 in Morgantown, West Virginia University unveiled a public dashboard that allows the public to track test results.
The mandatory testing has not yet started at WVU Potomac State College in Keyser or WVU Institute of Technology in Beckley. The fall semester at both those branch campuses begins Aug. 19, the original start date of classes in Morgantown.
Results released Monday show that from July 21-31, a total of 2,040 students in Morgantown were tested and 23 were positive for an overall rate of 1.13%. The results of faculty and staff members — whose testing started a week earlier — showed 2,398 tested. Three people were positive for a positive rate of .13%. Faculty and staff who are working remotely this fall are not required to take the test.
Testing for students continues through Aug. 15.
The combined results show 4,438 people were tested through July 31 for the virus. Twenty-six tests were positive for a rate of .59%.
The number of students in Morgantown is 24,000, but only 8,000 to 10,000 students are expected to be on campus. Students not on campus this fall do not have to take the COVID-19 test.
If a person tests positive, then he or she will be contacted by the health department for contact tracing, as well as to learn about recommendations for isolation and virus symptoms. But if a person is not contacted during contact tracing, then it has been determined he or she was not exposed to the virus by someone who tested positive, the university said.
COVID-19 testing data for the Morgantown campus is available at https://www.wvu.edu/return-to-campus/daily-test-results/morgantown. Information will be updates by 11 a.m. Monday-Friday.
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