New information tracks quarantined, isolated students
West Virginia University has started providing additional COVID-19 data to help people have a better understanding of the positive test results, monitoring and response protocols.
Last week, WVU testing focused on symptomatic people and sample testing of certain groups, including those in residence halls, participating in athletics and performing in arts, among others, the university said.
“Our testing is becoming much more focused on potential high-risk groups and individuals on campus as well continuing to identify any cluster outbreaks,” Dr. Jeffrey Coben, associate vice president of health affairs and dean of the School of Public Health, said. “We are also receiving self-reported cases from those who have tested positive through off-campus mechanisms such as urgent care clinics and primary care providers.”
As of Monday, 140 students on the Morgantown campus were isolated. Of those, 15 are isolating on-campus, 108 off-campus and 17 are not in Morgantown.
An additional 472 students on the Morgantown campus are quarantining, the university said. There are 123 students quarantining on-campus, another 331 off-campus and 18 outside of Morgantown.
Isolated students have tested positive, while quarantined students are those who have been in close contact with positive cases, WVU Spokesperson April Kaull said.
The university is coordinating with the county health department to regularly check in with students quarantining — both on- and off-campus — to provide resources and support, Kaull said.
“Students found not complying with quarantine guidelines would be reported to the Office of Student Conduct,” she said.
The results so far have been encouraging, Kaull said. WVU anticipated a potential positivity rate of about 3%. Overall, the positive test rate percentage for both faculty and students in 0.86%, according to the campus testing results.
WVU is closely monitoring the results as it moves to the second phase of testing, which is anticipated to have a higher positivity rate, Kaull said.
“The ongoing testing focuses on symptomatic and sample testing, as these tests are for individuals who have COVID-19 symptoms and groups who are more likely to be at risk of contracting COVID-19,” Kaull said.
No new cases were reported on the Keyser or Beckley campuses on Monday.
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