The University’s COVID-19 tracker reported seven new cases Wednesday, six of which are student cases and one which was faculty and staff. These new cases follow record low new cases over the weekend, with no cases reported Saturday or Sunday, though cases did increase Monday and Tuesday with three and eight new cases, respectively.
Dean of Students Allen Groves sent an email to the University community Wednesday afternoon acknowledging that St. Patricks Day is “a day frequently marked by over-celebrating” and asking students to continue adhering to University guidelines regarding gatherings. Last week, the University announced its decision to increase its outdoor gathering limit to 10 following a week of low cases — an increase from the previous limit of six. However, indoor gatherings are still limited to six individuals, with the exception of classes and individuals who live together in a single living arrangement.
“Of course, these are not normal times,” Groves wrote. “As you have repeatedly heard, it remains critically important to continue complying with public health measures, which include wearing a mask, maintaining physical distance, and gathering only in groups of 10 or fewer individuals when outside or 6 when inside.”
Wednesday’s seven cases brings the total number of active cases to 46 and the total number of cases for the spring semester to 1,688.
All students in the Charlottesville-Albemarle area are required to follow safety protocols including mask-wearing and maintaining physical distance at all times, in addition to weekly testing requirements. This semester, every student is required to report weekly for COVID-19 testing unless they are exempt due to vaccination status or a recent positive test. Faculty and staff can also opt-in to asymptomatic testing voluntarily at any location during walk-in hours.
The number of students in quarantine and isolation housing remains low, with three percent of quarantine beds occupied and one percent of isolation beds occupied.
The seven-day average positivity rate is currently 0.20 percent, with a weekly average of five cases between Sunday and Wednesday, in comparison to a weekly average of four between March 7 and March 13.
The U.Va. Health System tested 2,489 individuals Wednesday, bringing the total number of tests completed since Aug. 18 to 233,422. The average number of hours to complete a test has decreased to 11 hours this week following a steady rate of 12 hours the entirety of spring semester.
Five patients were admitted to U.Va. Health with COVID-19 Wednesday, and U.Va Health is currently treating or monitoring 33 people for COVID-19.
The University’s COVID-19 tracker is updated every weekday at 4 p.m.
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