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Duke Records 12 Positive COVID-19 Tests, Oct. 3-9

15,187 tests administered to students, faculty and staff during the week

Testing site for COVID-19

Duke University’s comprehensive COVID-19 testing program received results from 15,187 tests administered to students, faculty and staff from October 3 – October 9, 2020. In total, there were 12 positive results – nine students and three faculty/staff. The positivity rate was 0.079 percent.

 

Summary:

In this period:

  • 13,431 surveillance tests were administered to asymptomatic students with five positive results. An additional 133 tests were administered to students who reported symptoms or were identified through contact tracing, with three positive results.  One student tested positive from the 30 baseline/gateway tests that were administered. All students who tested positive are now in isolation. Nineteen students who had previously tested positive were cleared to return to campus.
  • Tests administered to student-athletes are included in the surveillance category.
  • 1,593 tests were administered to faculty/staff; 1,411 surveillance tests yielded no positive results, and 182 tests to symptomatic or contact traced individuals had three positive results. All of those individuals are isolating at home. Three staff/faculty members who had been in isolation were cleared to return to normal activities.

 

Overall:

  • Duke has administered 87,657 tests to students, faculty, and staff since August 2 and has recorded 107 positive results; 92 of those individuals have been cleared to return to normal activity.
  • This week, a total of 14,842 tests were administered through the surveillance program.

Student testing results from this period:

  • 13,594 tests were administered to students
  • Nine students tested positive, six of whom were asymptomatic. Two are undergraduates living on campus, three are undergraduates living off campus, and one is a graduate student living off campus. Two undergraduates living off campus were either symptomatic or identified through contact tracing, and one graduate student who tested positive was identified through gateway/baseline testing. All are in isolation and being monitored by Duke Student Health and continuing their coursework remotely
  • Surveillance testing included students living on- and off-campus
  • Duke has more than 300 individual beds for residential students who need to be moved to a secure and supportive isolation facility

 

Students cleared to return to activities during this period:

  • 19 students who previously tested positive were cleared to return to campus after being in isolation
  • 98 students who had been in precautionary quarantine due to contact tracing were released

 

Contact tracing and precautionary quarantine for students during this period:

  • 133 students were placed in precautionary quarantine because they were found to have been potentially exposed to an individual who tested positive; these students are being monitored by Duke Student Health and continuing their coursework remotely. The majority of students in quarantine and isolation reside off-campus.
  • Students who live in Duke-provided housing will be quarantined in campus facilities. Students who live off-campus must quarantine in their residence.

 

Faculty & staff testing results from this period:

  • 1,593 tests were administered to faculty and staff, including 1,411 through the surveillance program and 182 to individuals who reported symptoms.
  • Three faculty/staff members received positive test results; all of whom reported having symptoms. All are in isolation at home.
  • Three faculty/staff members who had previously tested positive have recovered and were cleared to return to normal activities.
  • Sixteen faculty/staff members were asked to quarantine as a result of contact tracing and five employees were released from precautionary quarantine and cleared to return to work.

 

Tests administered in this period:

  1. Surveillance testing for asymptomatic students, faculty, and staff
  2. Clinical testing for individuals who report symptoms or who are identified through contact tracing
  3. Gateway/Baseline testing, which is an individual test required for all students upon arrival to campus and before they can move into Duke housing or take classes on campus

More information on Duke’s COVID-19 testing program can be found at https://coronavirus.duke.edu/covid-testing/. Results are updated every Monday.