Since starting expanded testing of 5,000 Elon University students due to a record high number of COVID-19 cases on campus, over 1,800 test results have been returned, according to an email to the Elon community from Jeff Stein, chair of the Ready & Resilient committee.
The university has tested just under 3,000 students at the end of the day Wednesday and testing is scheduled to continue Thursday and Friday, despite the campus-wide power outage.
The university used two different companies for testing: Radeas Labs and LabCorp. Between the two companies the university identified 67 positive results.
1,714 results came for the Radeas’ “Tiger Test”. The test identified 58 positive cases, giving a positivity rate of 3.4%, according to Stein.
From Saturday’s testing with LabCorp, nine positive cases were identified in three sororities out of 185 results.
The university has expanded testing after returning to social hiatus on Oct. 23 due to a recent spike in cases. Restrictions that have been implemented include prohibiting visitors in on campus housing, closing indoor seating in dining halls and suspending high risk club sports and intramural activities.
The number of positive COVID-19 cases will increase as testing of the student body continues this week, yet there will also be a decline in the “percent of students who test positive as we move from targeted testing of high risk groups to the wider campus population,” according to Stein.
Stein said the measures being taken by the campus community are proving to contain the spread of the virus.
Stein said that students who receive a positive test result will receive support from Student Care & Outreach and are being moved to quarantine/isolation.
The university has increased COVID-19 metrics, but current conditions do not warrant the move to Level 4 or a campus quarantine, according to Stein.
“Our current conditions do not require a campus shelter-in-place and we do not expect to end in-person instruction before our planned break prior to Thanksgiving,” Stein wrote in the email update. “We will remain at Level 3 through the coming days, continuing to utilize many of the mitigation actions suggested on the Alert Matrix.”
Stein urged the campus community to continue to be vigilant and stressed the importance of mask-wearing, physical distancing, limited social interactions and compliance with testing in order to slow and limit the spread of the virus.
“The efforts we are all making now are crucial and are now working to protect the campus community,” Stein wrote.