Fifty-six positive COVID-19 tests were reported last week by the University of St. Thomas’ Center for Well-Being Monday, an increase of 20 from the previous week.

All positive tests last week came from students, with four of those positive tests from the Minneapolis campus.

There is no evidence of transmission in classrooms or in labs as of now, according to the university’s COVID-19 Dashboard.

“The bulk of the transmission appears to be within groups of students living together both on and off campus or groups of students who have gathered in small groups without distancing and/or masks,” a message on the COVID-19 Dashboard said.

The university reports that the number of known cases “remains within a manageable range based on key variables outlined in the ‘Key Considerations to Guide Decisions on Campus Operations.’”

More than 50% of the quarantine and isolation space remains available, according to the dashboard, and the university’s contact tracing team is still able to interview 90-100% of positive cases reported to the university within 24 hours of test results.

Testing supplies and personal protective equipment on campus remain at sizable levels, the dashboard said.

These numbers come from tests conducted at the Center for Well-Being, as well as self-reported tests.

According to the university’s COVID-19 Preparedness Plan, individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 “are expected to stay home until they have been fever-free for 72 hours (without use of medicine that reduces fever) and at least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared and other symptoms have improved.”

The plan also requires 14 days of quarantine for community members who have had close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19.

COVID-19 data is released by St. Thomas weekly on Mondays and can be found on the university’s COVID-19 Dashboard.

Justin Amaker can be reached at justin.amaker@stthomas.edu.
Maggie Stout can be reached at maggie.stout@stthomas.edu.