COVID-19 Testing Results from Nov 1-14
Nov 17, 2020 1:55 AM
Testing data is among the several key COVID-19 indicators the University is monitoring to determine the raising or lowering of our institutional recovery response levels. The University transitioned to fully online instruction on Nov. 12.
key indicators being monitored
TESTING DASHBOARD
Updated Nov. 17, 2020 – Validated results reported in the tables below include: universal testing, surveillance testing, Brady Health Center testing of individuals showing symptoms, and verified results from other sources that are uploaded to the University's portal as noted.
Key indicators we continue to monitor:
- Prevalence rate: Currently 13 cases. These are cases considered still contagious based on CDC guidelines. The prevalence of cases has been trending downward over the past week (down from 45 at this time last week).
- Positivity rate: The rate reported by different schools and different agencies are calculated using different factors, over different amounts of time, and based on varying factors. If you read explanations on website reporting positivity rates, you will see this.
- FSU-administered tests are shown in this first chart. (This means that FSU knows the outcome of every test taken, whether positive or negative). These are the rates that most other USM schools report and are what the Maryland Department of Health uses in its evaluation of campuses.
- 7-day rate (11/8 to 11/14): 5.65%
- 14-day rate (11/1 to 11/14): 7.44%
- FSU-administered tests are shown in this first chart. (This means that FSU knows the outcome of every test taken, whether positive or negative). These are the rates that most other USM schools report and are what the Maryland Department of Health uses in its evaluation of campuses.
Results from Nov. 1–14, 2020
| NEGATIVE TEST RESULTS | POSITIVE TEST RESULTS | TOTAL VALIDATED TEST RESULTS |
|
| University-Administered Test Results |
423 92.56% |
34 7.44% |
457 100.00% |
Since the beginning of the semester, FSU has administered 9,740 COVID-19 tests, including two universal testing events, biweekly surveillance and cluster testing, weekly athletics testing and testing of symptomatic individuals at Brady Health.
COMBINED UNIVERSITY-ADMINISTERED AND SELF-REPORTED TEST RESULTS: This second chart is the aggregate testing result number for the two-week period and reflects the consistent measure we have reported biweekly throughout the semester. This number includes self-reported positive COVID-19 cases, which tend to include primarily positive tests, not negative ones, because of the difficulty in receiving documentation of negative tests. However, any positive test results we can confirm in our university community is valuable information that we are using to evaluate our status. This is the number we have reported since the beginning of the semester.
Results from Nov. 1–14, 2020
| NEGATIVE TEST RESULTS | POSITIVE TEST RESULTS | TOTAL VALIDATED TEST RESULTS |
|
| Combined University-Administered and Self-Reported Tests (including self-reported) |
455 86.17% |
73 13.83% |
528 100.00% |
Additional information: The combined testing data above includes 71 self-reported tests uploaded to the University portal: 39 positive results and 32 negative results.
This will be the last Test Results Update for Fall 2020. The University currently remains at pandemic response Level 2.
Other factors we monitor
- Case clustering (whether contact tracing can identify a common factor among cases and the likelihood of spread outside those clusters): Contact tracing has confirmed that the majority of our cases are still in clusters of socially intertwined individuals.
- Wastewater testing: Our campus wastewater sampling data is supporting testing trends.
- Isolation capacity and Brady Health Center capacity:
- We have 32 isolation/quarantine rooms at an off-campus hotel for on-campus students with documented positive cases or contact-tracing identified close contact. For most of the semester, we have used less than half of this capacity.
- Brady Health, an ambulatory health center, has two of its five exam rooms designated as dedicated isolation rooms for sick patients. It requires 30 minutes in between patients to disinfect those rooms per the guidelines. A significant increase in sick patient visits and requirements for consents to the off-campus hotel impacts the ability of Brady to maintain patient flow.
- Symptomology: The severity of symptoms among the majority of those testing positive is also being monitored. With a few exceptions, those being overseen by Brady Health have reported relatively minor symptoms thus far.
- Mitigating risks: We also consider our ability to mitigate continued risks through implementing strategies such as sending disinfecting teams into areas of concern, increasing surveillance testing among cohorts, and closely monitoring correlations between wastewater samples as a predictive variable for positivity rates.
Move to online Instruction
Regarding the decision to go to all online instruction as of Thursday, Nov. 12: Guidance from the University System of Maryland, Governor Hogan’s Office, and concerns about the rising number of cases and positivity rate in Allegany County overall were key to our Nov. 11 decision to complete the semester online. We kept the University System of Maryland and Allegany County Health Department informed of our actions.
Exclusions from asymptomatic testing: The total number of tests listed above excludes students or employees who since initial testing indicated they were NOT and had no plans to be on campus; who opted to work/study remotely following the first round of universal testing and will not be on campus; who left the University following the first round of universal testing; who tested positive for COVID-19 during a designated period; who are employees of UMCES Appalachian Laboratory or students/employees at USMH; who were granted individual exemptions from testing for various reasons (approved leave, student teaching, unable to attend due to work schedule, etc.).