UGA reports slight uptick in campus COVID count

The University of Georgia, in one of the last weekly reports for fall semester, says there was an increase in positive tests for coronavirus during the week that ended this past Sunday, ten more than the previous week for a total of 29, still down 95 percent from the fall semester high reported after Labor Day at UGA. Of the 29 most recent COVID cases, 21 were in University students, while the other eight were campus staffers.

From UGA Media Relations…

The University Health Center posted the data as part of the weekly update on its website Wednesday morning. Of the 29 cases reported in DawgCheck, 21 were students and eight were staff members. There were no cases reported among members of the faculty.

The positivity rate for UGA’s surveillance testing dropped from the previous week, with two of 373 asymptomatic individuals testing positive for a rate of 0.5%. The UHC can test up to 800 individuals a day, and this service is offered free to the campus community.

“We continue to ask the UGA community to remain vigilant of the COVID-19 pandemic and to extend all efforts within their power to protect themselves and those around them, especially as we get closer to the holidays,” said Jen Swails, interim executive director of the University Health Center and co-chair of the university’s Medical Oversight Task Force. “The COVID-19 vaccination, as well as a booster shot for those who are eligible, continues to be one of the best ways to combat the virus, and the Health Center continues to offer those services for all UGA students, faculty and staff.”

The UGA College of Public Health, in partnership with the UHC, will continue to offer pop-up COVID-19 testing at the Tate Center ahead of winter break. Walk-up testing will be offered from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today (Dec. 8) and Dec. 20. No appointments are necessary for these services.

The UHC also continues to provide COVID-19 vaccinations free of charge to faculty, staff and students and their dependents over age 16. Booster shots are also available to faculty, staff, students and their eligible dependents who received their second dose at least six months ago. To date, the UHC has administered 31,195 vaccines to members of the UGA community.

In addition to COVID-19 vaccines, the UHC is also offering the flu vaccine with no appointment necessary for all students, faculty and staff from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each weekday. Flu shots are available to UGA students, student spouses, current faculty and staff and their dependents (13 years and older) and retired faculty. A flu shot is free for those who bring a UGA ID and current insurance card. A flu shot will cost $50 for those who are uninsured. Appointments can also be made by phone in the Allergy/Travel Clinic by calling 706-542-5575 or visiting patientportal.uhs.uga.edu.

The flu vaccine is also readily available at local pharmacies, clinics and primary care physicians’ offices. The Georgia Department of Public Health offers a HealthMap Vaccine Finder on its website.

If patients are eligible, both flu and COVID-19 vaccines can be administered during the same visit.

As it did last year, the university is maintaining a stock of rooms on- and off-campus to accommodate isolation and quarantine housing, as needed. Currently, none of the housing stock is in use.

The weekly DawgCheck reporting data consists of information from four sources: (1) tests conducted through UGA’s surveillance testing program; (2) symptomatic tests conducted at the University Health Center; (3) reports from Athens-area medical providers; and (4) reports of positive tests from other sources.

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