The University of Chicago reported 14 positive COVID-19 tests out of 5,011 tests performed in the week of October 2 to October 9, according to UChicago Forward, the school’s COVID-19 reporting dashboard. The school’s testing positivity rate in that period was 0.28 percent.
The dashboard “uses data from the University’s Mandatory Surveillance Testing Program, which began on Sept. 20 and includes everyone living in campus housing as well as in-season varsity athletes, and the Voluntary Surveillance Testing Program, which began on Sept. 28 and includes off-campus students, faculty, staff, and other academic appointees who will regularly be on campus,” according to the dashboard.
The voluntary testing program will reopen for registration between Monday and Thursday next week.
The dashboard also shows that six on-campus students are currently in isolation housing, while 21 off-campus students are also in isolation. Fourteen students who were formally in isolation have been cleared and released.
The second week of classes saw a marked increase in the number of cases and close contacts. Between October 2 and October 9, 33 total cases and 32 close contacts were reported, compared to 8 total reported cases and 22 close contacts in the week of September 25 through October 1 and 10 reported cases and eight close contacts in the week of September 18 through September 24.
The University says that it will refresh its COVID-19 dashboard every business day, with new data added every two business days.