Virginia Athletics reported just two positive COVID-19 test results Monday after 985 tests were administered to student-athletes and staff between Oct. 19 and Oct. 25, yielding a 0.2 percent positivity rate. The total positivity rate of student-athletes since they returned to Grounds on July 5 is now 1 percent.
This week’s positivity rate marks a 0.2 percent decrease as compared to last week’s 0.4 percent rate. This continues the trend of declining cases found among student-athletes over the past three weeks. The athletics department reported 12 positive COVID-19 test results three weeks ago, seven positive results two weeks ago and four positive results last week.
“All positive tests were reported to the Thomas Jefferson Health District of the Virginia Department of Health,” the press release stated. “Those individuals will self-isolate for at least 10 days, or until symptoms are resolving plus 24-hours fever free.”
In adherence to ACC protocol, student-athletes who participate in “high-risk” sports — football, field hockey, volleyball and men’s and women’s soccer — are tested three times a week. Men’s and women’s cross-country are designated by the ACC Medical Advisory Group as “medium-risk” so their athletes are tested once every other week.
All COVID-19 testing for Virginia student-athletes is administered by U.Va. Health with the exception of the testing the football team receives the day before games. This set of tests is administered by Mako Medical — an independent third-party health care diagnostic laboratory based in Raleigh, N.C.
Four student-athletes were unavailable for Virginia football’s game with Miami Saturday. This is a slight uptick from the week before when only one player was withheld from the game against Wake Forest due to isolation or quarantine restrictions. Fan limitations are expected to remain in place for football games, as the number of attendees are still restricted to just family of players and coaches for next week’s clash with North Carolina at Scott Stadium.
In contrast with Virginia Athletics’ relatively low number of positive tests, other large collegiate athletics departments have faced significant surges in cases among student-athletes and staff in the past several weeks. Notably, Michigan reported 26 new positive cases last week — its highest weekly count thus far. More severely, Florida’s football team suffered a major outbreak following a trip to Texas A&M earlier in the month, which resulted in a team-wide quarantine and at least 32 positive cases on the football team alone.
Following Dean of Students Allen Groves’ relaxation of restrictions last week, which allow for gatherings of up to 10 students as well as the implementation of saliva testing, the University has not seen a serious change in its daily average of new cases.
As of Monday, there are a total of 55 active cases of COVID-19 in the University community, of which 45 are students. The University currently fills 5 percent quarantine dorms, along with 3 percent of its isolation dorms, the former which are reserved for students who have been exposed to and the latter for those who tested positive for COVID-19.
These statistics are updated on the University’s COVID Tracker Monday through Friday by 4 p.m. and include most tests administered to student-athletes, with the exception of the football team’s round of testing completed by Mako Medical 24 hours before game day.
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