The COVID-19 coronavirus. (Courtesy Center for Disease Control)
After just six days of on-campus interaction, the University of Colorado Boulder has already begun to test students positive for COVID-19. As of Saturday, August 22, the university reports that it has conducted more than 2,420 tests. According to the university’s “COVID-19-ready dashboard,” 16 of those tests were positive.
In contrast, the university claims it conducted less than 850 tests between March and August, as coronavirus forced the school to move its classes online. 66, or 7.76%, of those tests were positive; a substantially larger percentage than the current test-to-positive result ratio of 0.66%.
However, the university’s statistics raises another issue; these positive tests have taken up 2.4% of the university’s quarantine space, according to the utilization rate listed on the dashboard.
On Monday, August 24th, the university updated the site, saying that, “We’re starting the semester with approximately 250 beds set aside for isolation, and about 2.4% of the spaces are currently occupied. All students who moved into the residence halls had a negative COVID-19 test.”
The university’s website reads, “We have a limited number of living spaces for isolation or quarantine for affected students who live on campus. Resources for meals, medical attention and academic accommodations are available.”
They do not list any contingency for if the isolation space fills up.
This story will be updated.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Henry Larson at henry.larson@colorado.edu.
