As of Aug. 18, two new cases of COVID-19 have been reported at the University of Massachusetts, the most recent case reports since July 30. According to the case listings posted on the University website, both individuals are students who live off-campus, and are currently recovering and self-isolating off-campus.
According to a listing posted on Aug. 14, “One UMass student who lives off campus tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The student had no contact with other students and is recovering and self-isolating off-campus.”
On Aug. 18, a second listing was posted stating that a UMass student tested positive, and “the positive test was from the UMass Amherst asymptomatic testing program.” This listing did not indicate whether or not the student had had contact with other students.
“We’re hoping that students will still continue to get tested because that is going to be one of the key things as we move forward with the semester, which is not the usual type of semester,” said Office of News and Media Relations Deputy Director Mary Dettloff. “It’s always protocol that [University Health Services] and the Town of Amherst Health Department will be in touch with any students…whose tests come back positive. That will always be a protocol that UHS will initiate contact training with the Town of Amherst Health Department.”
The two new cases are the most recent to be reported since July 30, when the website posted an update stating that six UMass students living off-campus tested positive for COVID-19.
“All know each other, socialize together and have mild symptoms. They are isolating in their apartments in Amherst. There was no campus exposure,” the July 30 posting stated.
According to Dettloff, the six students “were all in contact with [University Health Services] and the Town of Amherst in regard to testing and contact tracing. Like students planning to live off-campus this fall, the students were asked to isolate in their home or travel to their family home if they are able.”
The University website lists confirmed cases of COVID-19 at UMass Amherst, with the earliest listings dating back to April 5 when a Blue Wall Café employee tested positive, and April 21 when an Integrated Sciences Building employee tested positive.
“We are also currently working on a new dashboard that will be publicly available [and] will provide additional information on the statistics that will include the asymptomatic testing and the symptomatic testing,” said Executive Director of Emergency Management Jeff Hescock during a live virtual campus forum with Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy and other University Administrators on Aug. 6. “That will be published very shortly.”
“Moving forward this fall, cases from student populations on campus and in the immediate area will continue to be listed, as well as any cases involving on-campus personnel,” said Dettloff.
McKenna Premus is an Assistant Social Media Editor and can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @mckenna_premus.
Update: As of Aug. 21, the reported date of the Aug. 14 COVID-19 case listing on the UMass Amherst website has been changed to reflect the date Aug.13. No other case details have been changed.
