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458 More University Park Students Test Positive For Coronavirus

Penn State reported 458 more University Park students have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to the latest update to the university’s COVID-19 Dashboard Tuesday.

The university administered 772 student random surveillance tests between September 11 and 14, resulting in zero positives, 552 negatives, and 221 pending tests. Meanwhile, Penn State performed 748 on-demand tests in that span, which yielded 100 positives, 271 negatives, and 377 pending tests.

It appears a large number of Tuesday’s reported positives came from tests that were previously pending before the update. Last Friday, nearly 1,500 student tests were pending results.

According to the dashboard’s update, 108 students are currently in on-campus quarantine, while 59 are in on-campus isolation. Penn State added 477 students have completed their isolation periods so far and “returned to their normal daily lives.”

Penn State did not immediately respond to a request for comment on its current quarantine and isolation capacity.

Since testing began on August 7, Penn State has found 1,145 positive student coronavirus tests at University Park out of 17,803 administered tests. One employee tested positive last week as well.

In a statement, Penn State President Eric Barron reiterated the university will continue with its fall semester as planned despite rising case numbers.

“We continue to monitor many factors beyond our daily testing results, including local hospitalizations, spread from our student body to employees and the community, and our quarantine and isolation capacity, among many others,” Barron said. “At this time, these variables remain in our favor and we can continue our on-campus activities.”

Penn State plans to update the dashboard with new testing statistics twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays. The tool incorporates data random surveillance testing, symptomatic testing, and self-reported testing through University Health Services or Occupational Medicine.

Throughout the semester, the university plans to randomly test at least 1% of its population each day at designated locations around campus, including the Bryce Jordan Center and Eisenhower Auditorium. Random, university-wide surveillance testing began on Monday, August 24.

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About the Author

Matt DiSanto

Matt proudly served as Onward State’s managing editor for two years until graduating from Penn State in May 2022. Now, he’s off in the real world doing real things. Send him an email ([email protected]) or follow him on Twitter (@mattdisanto_) to stay in touch.

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