AUSTIN, Texas — The University of Texas at Austin reported a record-high number of COVID-19 infections among students on Tuesday, Jan. 4.
UT received notice of 126 new cases among students on Tuesday, according to the university's COVID-19 dashboard. UT also reported 27 new cases among staff and faculty on Tuesday, making it the second-highest number of cases reported.
The record number of cases among staff and faculty was set Monday, Jan. 3, with a total of 28 cases and the previous record for cases among students was set back on Sept. 11, 2020, as 109 cases were reported.
Considering the new spike in cases driven by the omicron variant, UT President Jay Hartzell asked faculty members to teach remotely during the first two weeks of the semester, which starts on Jan. 18. Hartzell said the target date to return to in-person classes has been set for Jan. 31.
Students returning to campus are being asked to receive a viral test within 72 hours prior to returning to campus or the surrounding community.
In mid-December, the first cases of the omicron variant reported in Austin were among UT students. Austin Public Health said the three cases were linked by community transmission, noting that those who tested positive had not traveled internationally and were not linked to one another.
Since the first report, the new variant has taken hold of Central Texas. A new record 7-day average of 3,399 cases per day was reported Wednesday in the Austin metro area and is up drastically from just a week ago.
The State of Texas surpassed 4 million confirmed cases Wednesday and also set a new record for the 7-day average, with 35,749 cases per day.
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