There are now 1,026 active coronavirus cases at the University of South Carolina as of Monday, according to the latest update of USC’s COVID-19 dashboard.
Nine of those cases are employees, and the remaining 1,017 are student cases. This is nearly double the previously reported case count of 557 on Aug. 27.
The quarantine/isolation capacity has also increased. Previously, there were 285 total spaces available for students between Bates West and the National Advocacy Center. After the dashboard update on Tuesday, there are 428 total spaces.
Of those 428 spaces, 60% are currently in use, or 257 spaces.
The percent positive rate for the latest reporting period, Aug. 28 through Aug. 31, is 26.3%. This is also an increase from the previously reported rate of 16.6%. The percent positive rate is the amount of positive cases in relation to the total number of people tested.
There are 1,026 pending tests that are still awaiting results.
The overall campus alert level is still sitting at “low,” which is the second-lowest level on the alert scale. The alert level is calculated using 11 factors, including testing, case burden and quarantine/isolation capacity. The campus case burden, defined as "the levels at which active campus cases triggers increased health and safety measures," is the only factor at the highest alert level.
“We will begin to focus our testing where we are seeing increased numbers of positives, mostly identified through our wastewater surveillance. The is science informing us and enabling us to specifically act in places that require intervention. We will continue to focus and hold students accountable for behavior. Nevertheless, the recent leveling is encouraging, as well as the minimal spread from the student population to faculty, staff and into the community,” President Bob Caslen said in an email statement.
According to the downloadable spreadsheet on the dashboard's website, an active case is a "case confirmed by a COVID diagnostic test, or a case that is presumed positive based on symptoms and/or close contact with a known positive COVID individual."
The individual must also be "within the timeframe of potential viral spread to others" in order to be considered an active case.
The COVID-19 dashboard will be updated every Tuesday and Friday.