In July and August, WVU conducted free COVID-19 testing for faculty and staff in the parking lot near the Coliseum. (WVU Photo/Scott Lituchy)
In an effort to help the campus and surrounding community better understand positive test results, monitoring and response protocols, West Virginia University is providing additional data to its COVID-19 testing dashboard.
Beginning today (Sept. 4), the dashboard will include data about self-reported positive test results from outside WVU’s testing system, as well as isolation and quarantine information (on-campus, off-campus, Greek housing and those who have gone home) for the Morgantown campus.
Self-reported and campus test results by day
Self-reported positive test results from outside the WVU system are an addition to the positive campus test results previously part of the dashboard. The campus test results will continue to be updated, and like the self-reported results, are listed on the date they were reported to WVU, not the date the positive cases were tested.
“As part of our Return to Campus plan, we required any student or employee who would be on campus to be tested as part of our free COVID-19 testing,” Vice President for Strategic Initiatives Rob Alsop said. “As we moved into ongoing testing last week, we started seeing people seek out testing from third-parties and we knew we needed to include that data to give a more complete picture of COVID-19 on our campus.”
All positive cases must be reported to WVU. Students should notify the WVU CARE Team, and employees should notify WVU Medical Management. All positive results reported to WVU are sent directly to the state.
Campus quarantine updates
Quarantine means avoiding contact with others to the furthest extent possible for the next 14 days, as directed by the local health department. These individuals are likely in quarantine because they’ve been considered a close contact of someone who tested positive for COVID-19.
“The University has been aggressive in quarantining close contacts as we know students, in particular, live in close proximity, and in an abundance of caution have quarantined to mitigate community spread,” said Dr. Carmen Burrell, medical director of Urgent Care and Student Health Services.
Those who are quarantining should not be on campus for class or work at any point during this period.
Campus isolation updates
Isolation is avoiding contact with others for at least 10 days after a testing date, as directed by the local health department. Individuals are likely in isolation because they’ve tested positive for COVID-19, and this isolation period separates them from others who may not be sick to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Students may isolate in Arnold Apartments. Those who live off-campus may self-isolate as long as they are able to stay away from others by using a separate living space.
These individuals must remain isolated and are not allowed on campus for class or work at any point during this period until medically cleared.
Ongoing testing and metrics
WVU moved last week from the initial, baseline testing to ongoing testing for the remainder of the semester. The daily percentage of positive COVID-19 tests, quarantine and isolation numbers were expected to increase during this 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.
The University is monitoring numerous data points several times a day to determine whether additional precautionary measures are required; and is in constant communication with the local health department, the state and the testing labs to quickly identify any concerning trends. There is no single metric, specific number or percentage that would trigger the University to change course.
Updates and notifications
WVU’s dashboard will continue to be updated Monday-Friday at 2 p.m. The shift from 11 a.m. will provide additional time to compile and analyze the data now coming in from multiple sources. Information regarding students and employees will still be broken out by campus (Morgantown, Beckley and Keyser).
Updates are also provided by the University on WVU Safety social media accounts.
Additionally, the University will continue to share trends and other COVID-19 related updates with the public each week or as necessary via WVUToday.
The dashboard should not be used to monitor individual test results. WVU students, faculty and staff should follow the Return to Campus guidelines to access test results.
Additional information and COVID-19 updates are available at WVU’s Return to Campus website.
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ak/09/04/20
CONTACT: April Kaull, Executive Director of Communications
University Relations
304-212-8710; akaull@mail.wvu.edu
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