AUSTIN, Texas — The University of Texas at Austin estimates there were 178 total active cases on campus as of Friday, Sept. 3, according to UT Austin’s COVID-19 dashboard. 154 cases among students, faculty and staff were reported from Aug. 25 to Sept. 3.
The number of cases is less than the UT COVID-19 Modeling Consortium estimated. An August report said 187 to 236 students would be infected during the first week of school.
UT’s first day of classes was Wednesday, Aug. 25, over a week before Sept. 3. Researchers estimated between 46% and 64% of UT students would be fully vaccinated by Aug. 25.
“The number of cases on campus is actually on the low to medium end of what the modeling team predicted. And I think that's in part because we did get a number of students who might have brought COVID-19 to campus...to stay home a few extra days,” Art Markman, head of the academic working group for COVID-19 planning, told the Austin American-Statesman. “But obviously, we're going to continue to monitor.”
UT is estimating that over 50,000 students are on campus this semester. According to the dashboard, Proactive Community Testing during the first week of classes led to a positivity rate of 0.5% among students and 0.3% among faculty and staff.
9,830 tests were given to students and 613 to faculty and staff.
For the second week of classes, 30 of the 3,877 coronavirus tests given to students came back positive, leading to a positivity rate of 0.8%. Two faculty and staff tests, of 827, came back positive for a rate of 0.2%.
From Aug. 25 to Sept. 3, 50 students and six faculty and staff members tested positive through UT's clinic testing for symptomatic individuals, according to the dashboard.
UT considers COVID-19 cases to be active “for 10 days following the date of symptom onset.”
UT Austin is not requiring masks or vaccines under Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order. It is offering vaccine incentives for students who upload their vaccination status.
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: