UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — As expected from the nationwide spread of the omicron coronavirus variant, results of Penn State-provided COVID-19 testing show an increase in positive cases and in the overall positivity rate at the University Park campus.
“We anticipated that our positive case counts and positivity rates would increase given the rise in COVID-19 cases in Pennsylvania and nationally due to the omicron variant,” said Kelly Wolgast, director of the Penn State COVID-19 Operations Control Center. “At this time, we are seeing lower testing volume overall due to the University’s winter break; however, those who are seeking testing are usually either symptomatic or they are asymptomatic but have been exposed to the virus. As expected, this has resulted in a higher positivity rate.”
For the period of Dec. 20 to Jan. 2, which encompasses the University’s two-week winter break closure, 2,243 total COVID-19 tests were administered at University Park, resulting in 357 positive cases, for a total positivity rate of 15.9%. This includes 283 student positive results from 1,457 tests performed (19.4% positivity rate) and 74 employee positives from 786 employee tests (9.4% positivity rate).
Testing at the Commonwealth Campuses from Dec. 20 to Jan. 2 resulted in 138 total positive results (105 students and 33 employees) out of 552 total tests administered (384 student tests and 168 employee tests).
For the most recent week from Jan. 3 through Jan. 6, 2,403 total COVID-19 tests were administered at University Park, resulting in 318 positive cases, for a positivity rate of 13.2%. This includes 229 student positive results from 1,420 tests performed (16.1% positivity rate) and 89 employee positives from 983 employee tests (9.1% positivity rate).
Testing at the Commonwealth Campuses from Jan. 3 through Jan. 6 resulted in 33 total positive results (20 students and 13 employees) out of 96 total tests administered (52 student tests and 44 employee tests).
The data reflects all COVID-19 testing conducted by the University, including tests performed on campus through University Health Services and at the White Building drop-in testing site, at-home tests conducted via Vault Health, and student-athlete testing.
Beginning with the week of Jan. 10 and continuing for the remainder of the spring semester, the University’s COVID-19 dashboard will again be updated twice weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The latest testing data for each individual Commonwealth Campus will be available with the next dashboard update on Jan. 11.
Penn State is committed to the health and safety of its students, faculty, staff and local communities, and the University continues to monitor many factors, including community spread, the severity of cases, vaccination rates of our communities, hospitalizations, and pandemic conditions at the local, state and national levels.
To mitigate the spread of the virus, community members are urged to follow the University’s indoor masking requirement, stay home from class and work when feeling sick, seek testing when needed or required, and get their COVID-19 vaccine and booster if they have not done so already.
As a reminder, all students and employees are required to be fully vaccinated or alternatively be tested for COVID-19 every week during the spring semester. Students at University Park, Commonwealth Campuses and Dickinson Law can upload their vaccination records through myUHS, and employees can do so through Salesforce Health Cloud.
With spring semester classes beginning Jan. 10, students returning to University Park who did not take a COVID-19 test prior to returning to campus are strongly encouraged to utilize the White Building drop-in testing site from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Jan. 7 and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Jan. 8 and 9. Spring semester hours for the White Building testing site will begin Jan. 10 and can be found on the Testing and Support page on Penn State’s virus information website.
At Commonwealth Campuses, student tests are available from the student health center or another designated office, or mail-in test kits can be ordered through Vault Health.
University Park students living on campus or in the local community who are exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 should continue to schedule testing appointments with University Health Services. Students living on or near other Penn State campuses should seek symptomatic testing via their campus health services or a local provider. Symptomatic employees are advised to schedule an appointment with their health care provider.
Full spring semester testing information for employees and students is available on Penn State’s official coronavirus information website.
The latest COVID-19 data for Pennsylvania can be found on the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s COVID-19 dashboard.