Duke reports 17 new positive COVID-19 tests for students, four for faculty and staff out of 15,378 total

There were 21 new positive coronavirus tests at Duke between Oct. 17 and Oct. 23, out of 15,378 total tests, according to data released Monday on the University’s COVID-19 testing tracker.

Among students, there were 17 positive tests out of 13,562 total, for a positivity rate of 0.125%. That includes 8 positives among students who participated in surveillance testing, out of 13,431 total. 

Additionally, nine of 131 tests were positive among students who had symptoms or were determined to have been in close contact with someone who tested positive. No entry tests were conducted this week.

There were also four new positive tests among faculty and staff out of 1,816 total, for a positivity rate of 0.22%. There were no positives out of 1,622 surveillance tests conducted, and all four positives were from 194 tests conducted on faculty and staff who were contact traced.  

The total number of new student cases reported this week is the same as to the week before, which included seven positive tests from Duke’s first student cluster, reported at an off-campus apartment complex.

In total, 157 people were placed in precautionary quarantine and 151 were released, according to Monday’s update. A total of 21 people were placed in isolation, and 14 were cleared to leave after having previously tested positive. 

According to a news release, about 5% of the more than 300 quarantine and isolation beds available for students in Duke housing are full. 

Since Aug. 2, Duke has administered 118,178 tests and reported a total of 148 positives among faculty, staff and students. The University has conducted multiple kinds of testing, including entry testing of every returning student, testing based on contact tracing and pooled surveillance testing of asymptomatic people. 

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