USC reports more than 400 new active coronavirus cases; total climbs to 1,443

The number of active COVID 19 cases on University of South Carolina’s campus has risen to 1,443, the school announced Friday.

That’s an increase of 426 from Monday, when USC had 1,017 active cases. When classes for the fall semester began a little more than two weeks ago on Aug. 20, the university had 46 active cases.

With a student population of roughly 35,000, that means one in every 25 students currently has the virus.

Friday’s update coincides with a pause in the university’s on-demand saliva testing that began Thursday when a “key lab staffer” became sick, the school said. Though USC is offering nasal swab tests to symptomatic students, the university encouraged students to seek tests off-campus.

Saliva testing, a less invasive, more rapid form of testing, has been hailed by university officials as a “game changer” that would allow for on-demand testing of students whether they are symptomatic or not. A school spokesman told The State the hope is to resume on-demand saliva testing Tuesday.

From last Friday to this Monday, the university reported 2,336 tests. From Tuesday to Thursday, it recorded 1,917 tests. During that time frame, the percentage of tests returning positive dipped from 26% among students to 19%.

University President Bob Caslen cited that decline in the positive test rate in a statement but warned that USC was likely to see an increase after the Labor Day weekend.

“Although our total number of positive cases remains high, this week we actually saw signs of a reduced campus case load and positivity rate,” Caslen said. “Following the holiday weekend, however, we anticipate an uptick in cases on campus in line with the anticipated national trend.”

In response, Caslen said, the university has leased 132 rooms from a local hotel, SpringHill Suites, for the next month to quarantine students who have been exposed to the novel coronavirus.

The increase in quarantine space comes a few days after a doctor with USC’s medical school warned that rising case numbers could exceed USC’s current quarantine capacity if the case count continues to grow.

According to the university’s coronavirus dashboard, USC’s quarantine and isolation space saw a jump in usage from Monday, going from 60% to 72.9% full.

Also on Friday, the university announced that it was quarantining three more houses in its Greek Village, bringing the total number of houses currently under quarantine to 12. There are 20 total facilities in the village.

South Carolina has reported one of the highest total case counts of COVID-19 among universities across the country, per the New York Times. But Caslen has repeatedly defended the school’s safety protocols and said the classroom is one of the safest places for students to be.

Instead, he and other school officials have cited student behavior, especially at off-campus events, as one of the main reasons for the spread of the virus.

Columbia authorities have broken up several mass gatherings since students returned to campus, including a crowded pool party at the Palmetto Compress apartments that Fire Chief Aubrey Jenkins likened to Mardi Gras.

On Thursday, video posted to social media showed what appeared to be a large crowd of students gathering at TLC Sports Bar and Grill, which is just outside of Columbia city limits near the USC football stadium.

On Friday, Caslen announced the school was suspending seven students for violating health and safety protocols, either by hosting large gatherings or breaking quarantine. That brings the total number of students suspended for such violations this year to 22.

But Caslen has also said the university’s high case counts can be attributed in part to the school’s aggressive testing, a policy he vowed to continue. He also said during a virtual town hall Wednesday he has no immediate plans to shut down campus.

“We remain committed to testing as many students, faculty and staff as possible. We want to identify every positive case, take care of each one, and get students back into the classroom as soon as we can,” Caslen said in a statement Friday.

In addition to testing individuals, USC is testing sewage leaving campus buildings to look for coronavirus markers and then focusing testing on hot spots, Caslen has said.

This story was originally published September 4, 2020 at 4:51 PM.