Colorado Mesa University (CMU) has seen 5 two-week positive cases for COVID-19, for a total of 38 since testing began on July 27.
As CMU continues its third week of in-person classes amidst the coronavirus pandemic, the university is moving from the baseline testing of the student body to the detection testing phase of randomly selected students.
CMU has tested 9,500 students and received over 8,800 testing results, for a prevalence rate of 0.32%. The weekly testing results were posted to the CMU coronavirus dashboard. Mesa will continue randomized testing throughout the following months.
“The percent positivity will increase with our detection testing, meaning the 2-week prevalence rate (which has been hovering in the 0.3% to 0.4% range) may increase significantly now that we are performing strategic reflexive testing, targeting suspected cases in addition to random sampling,” CMU Vice President of Student Services and Co-Chair of Safe Together, Strong Together, John Marshall, stated in an email sent to students on Sept. 1, 2020.
In the first three weeks, students experienced new safety measures such as Scout, a symptom-tracking app students were required to fill out before attending their in-person classes. Additionally, students are required to social distance and wear masks for all of their classes.
Another protocol CMU has put in place is randomized testing for students, in order to catch early cases and isolate individuals in an attempt to control outbreaks before they even start. Rapid saliva screening will also start later this week.
“Thus far, our positive cases have remained consistently low (less than one half of one percent), and thanks to our testing strategy we have been able to help these individuals safely isolate and quarantine, per medical/public health guidance,” Marshall stated in an email sent to students on Aug. 24, 2020.
Colorado College is shifting to remote learning after quarantining each dorm. There were 16 positive tests through CU Boulder Medical Services in Boulder, CO, between Aug. 17 and Aug. 22. Colorado State University has had 102 cumulative cases since starting testing in mid May.
“As we continue to pivot toward our semester-long random detection testing, please pay careful attention to your email and text messages for alerts about your selection for ongoing testing,” Marshall said in his Aug. 24 email.
