As positivity rate drops, Penn doubles number of administered COVID-19 tests

Penn performed nearly twice the number of tests than it did last week, resulting in more than double the number of students in quarantine.

Penn administered 15,387 total tests last week, almost 7,000 more tests than during the week of Jan. 10 to Jan. 16 when many students were moving in to on-campus housing. The positivity rate decreased from 1% to 0.87% for the week of Jan. 17 to Jan. 23.

There are currently 161 students with COVID-19 in isolation and 216 students in quarantine who were exposed to COVID-19 but remain healthy. The number of students in quarantine increased two-fold from last week's 101 students. The available on-campus isolation capacity is currently at 90.3%, down from 94.6% from Jan. 10 to Jan. 16.

The University administered 183 tests for symptomatic individuals and individuals who had close contact with someone with COVID-19 were administered. These tests account for 21 positive tests and a 12.57% positivity rate.

More than 3,000 students arrived on campus this month for a hybrid spring semester. The University is operating at Level 2: Heightened Awareness due to conditions that suggest increased exposure or cases. 

Undergraduates living on and off campus must schedule saliva-based screening tests twice a week on pre-assigned days. Graduate students and faculty living on campus must be tested twice a week on days of their choice, and off-campus graduate students, faculty, and staff who visit campus must be tested once a week. 

Penn students and faculty must perform daily symptom checks through the PennOpen Pass system. Students are also expected to abide by a Quiet Period until Feb. 1, limiting non-essential movement and organized activities. 

There are seven operational testing facilities open to the Penn community during the spring semester following the closure of the Iron Gate Theatre location on Wednesday.