The Oct. 19 COVID-19 Dashboard update revealed another week with a low caseload on campus. From Oct. 12-19, 437 tests were administered to symptomatic and randomly selected asymptomatic students, again resulting in only 4 positive cases. This represents a positivity rate of 0.92%, a decrease from the previous week’s 0.96% positivity rate.

Along with a decreased positivity rate, there was also a reduction in usage of on-campus quarantine and isolation spaces. The update indicated that 20 students are currently in quarantine, a decrease from the 51 students in quarantine last week. Only 9 of the 20 students are quarantined on campus, thus decreasing on-campus quarantine space utilization from 17% last week to 9% this week.

In addition to 437 student tests, three employee tests were administered, resulting in 2 positive cases. These tests were administered when an employee reported COVID-19 symptoms or exposure to an infected individual.

Beyond campus, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SC DHEC) released updated disease metrics, showing an increase in the two-week cumulative incidence rate from 198 to 235 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 individuals.

The two-week percent positive rate in Greenville County has also increased from 11.3% to 14.2%, which is classified as “high” by SC DHEC. The acute hospital bed occupancy in the Upstate has remained more or less the same, moving from 77% to 76%. 

In sum, after yet another week of random testing, Furman’s positivity rate is still declining. In the Greenville area more broadly, however, COVID-19 cases have increased again.