COLUMBIA, S.C. — The University of South Carolina has 170 active COVID-19 cases as of September 18, according to the university tracker.
According to the Friday update, 164 cases are students and 6 are staff.
On Tuesday, there were 196 active cases. 193 of these cases were students and 3 were staff. Last Friday there were 501 total cases, with 491 of those being students.
At the beginning of September the university saw 1,443 active cases.
Since August 1, the university has reported a total of 2,124 cases in students and employees. They have performed more than 18,000 tests, according to their online dashboard.
The university is doing saliva-based coronavirus testing on campus in an effort to find as many cases as possible and contact trace those people.
According to the online dashboard, the university is also using less than 15% of their designated space to isolate and quarantine students.
The university expanded it's quarantine capacity by leasing a second hotel. The university leased a second hotel exclusively for the quarantine of students (Holiday Inn Express, Washington Street). No students are currently occupying the 90-room hotel.
The university previously agreed to a month-long lease with a local hotel (SpringHill Suites), securing an additional 132 rooms for use by students.
Only UofSC students under quarantine will be housed at these hotels during this period and access will be closely monitored.
Students in quarantine are provided an array of support to ensure their physical and emotional needs are met and that their academic progress in not hindered. This includes a dedicated healthcare coordinator, 24-hour access to mental health care, regularly delivered meals, online tutoring, and a peer-to-peer support program designed for those experiencing quarantine.
USC partnered with DHEC and other local and national agencies announced expanded access to free COVID-19 testing.
For registration information and additional details about specific dates and times for your desired testing location, please visit www.doineedacovid19test.com
According to USC, only one house in the Greek Village is currently under quarantine. All the other houses have cycled out.
The university said that nasal swab and saliva-based testing will be widely available Monday-Friday at multiple campus locations for students, faculty and staff.
According to USC, this week's testing capacity outpaced demand and members of the campus community are strongly encouraged to get tested. In addition to walk-up testing for students on Davis field, testing will be available for faculty and staff at 650 Lincoln, Drayton Hall and the Synovis building. Mobile teams also will visit multiple residence halls to make it more convenient possible for students to get tests. Testing schedules are available on the COVID-19 website.
With the most recent update of the online dashboard, USC president Bob Caslen released the following statement:
“We continue to see improvements in both our quarantine and testing capacity over the past week and anticipate additional progress in the coming days. Many students are beginning to cycle out of quarantine, and we’re appreciative of those who followed the safety protocols during what can be a challenging time. I remind our entire university community to take the necessary precautions to protect themselves and others—wear face coverings, practice social distancing, wash hands often and get tested.”
--Bob Caslen