UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State’s COVID-19 dashboard has been updated to show the results of University-provided coronavirus testing at all campus locations through Feb. 25. Over the last seven days at University Park, 17,239 total tests have been administered, resulting in 87 positive cases, for a total seven-day positivity rate of 0.5%. This includes 86 student positive results from 16,962 student tests performed (0.5% positivity rate) and one employee positive from 277 employee tests (0.4% positivity rate).
Testing at all other Penn State campuses over the last seven days has resulted in 24 total positive results (23 students and one employee) out of 6,780 total tests administered (6,699 student tests and 81 employee tests).
With Feb. 27 marking the student-created event known as State Patty’s Day, the University is strongly urging and reminding students to act responsibly and refrain from engaging in reckless behavior. This includes continuing to follow all campus and local municipal guidelines and ordinances in place to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, such as avoiding large social gatherings, wearing face masks and practicing physical distancing.
Included in the dashboard’s daily testing data are tests performed as part of Penn State’s universal re-testing program, which requires all students who are taking in-person classes or who are taking a fully remote or online course load while living in Centre County or within a 20-mile radius of a Penn State campus to be tested for COVID-19 during the first two weeks of in-person learning (Feb. 15 to 26).
Beginning March 1, the University will resume its required random testing program, which will test between 1% and 2% of the University’s on-campus population of students and employees each day. Penn State also has walk-up/on-demand and symptomatic testing options in place to identify potential positive cases in a timely manner, and the University is conducting contact tracing and utilizing quarantine and isolation housing to help limit spread of the virus.
At University Park there are currently 59 students in quarantine and isolation housing, representing 15% of the total 400-room quarantine and isolation capacity at Eastview Terrace. There are currently 30 students in quarantine and isolation housing at all other Penn State campuses.
For detailed updates and information about the University’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, visit Penn State’s official virus information website.