University of Idaho updated its case count page Monday, reporting the number of tests completed, number of positive tests and percentage of positive tests. As of Friday, 5,231 tests had been completed and 59 tests (0.98% of the total tests completed) had come back positive.
In an email sent to students, staff and faculty Aug. 11, UI Special Assistant to the President Toni Broyles stated the goal was to test “more than 10,000 people in an effort to reopen campus in as safe and responsible manner as possible.” No specific date was mentioned in that email for when those people should be tested by.
Broyles could not be reached for comment.
UI Director of Communications Jodi Walker said the university figured if all students, staff and faculty were tested, the goal would be to test around 10,000 people. She said that there was no specific number for how many people should be tested, although everyone was encouraged to get tested. UI COVID-19 Response Manager Seth Vieux also said there was no specific number for how many people should be tested.
Walker said testing at UI’s on-campus swabbing site has been extended to Wednesday.
UI’s COVID-19 testing numbers include both employees and students, but do not represent the number of swabs collected, the number of individuals who have been tested or the number of infectious COVID-19 cases, according to its website.
The current results may partially reflect some students the university knows are not yet back on campus, including firefighters working on wildfires, agriculture students helping with harvest and international students, Walker said. These students, since they have yet to return to campus, have not been swabbed at UI’s testing site.
Classes began at UI Monday, but neither Vieux nor Walker knew how many students had been cleared to attend classes in person. Those ineligible to attend classes include students who have tested positive for COVID-19, students who have not yet received their COVID-19 test results and those who have not yet been tested, according to Vieux’s statements during the Aug. 12 Talk with Torrey.
This article has been edited to clarify phrasing and information on UI test result data.
Lex Miller can be reached at [email protected]