USC’s coronavirus percent positive rate drops to lowest since beginning of school

Active coronavirus cases on the University of South Carolina’s campus have declined to the lowest number since classes started in August.

USC is reporting 95 active cases on campus, with a 3.2% positive rate, according to its online dashboard, updated Tuesday evening.

Between Friday and Monday, USC conducted 808 coronavirus tests.

While USC appeared to be nearing its quarantine capacity earlier this month, the school now has 94.3% of its quarantine capacity available, according to the dashboard.

Friday, when case numbers were most recently announced before Tuesday, USC reported 170 cases with a 5% positivity rate. Friday, USC lowered the campus alert to “new normal,” which is the lowest category in the alert system.

The campus alert level is a composite score of case numbers, testing and quarantine capacity, coronavirus’ impact on day-to-day operations and more.

Since school began Aug. 20, the peak number of reported active cases has been 1,461 on Sept. 3, according to USC’s online dashboard.

Around the time the peak was reported, testing declined rapidly because USC said a lab staffer key to saliva testing became sick, which caused saliva testing to fall to one-sixth of its previous capacity.

Naturally, fewer tests showed fewer positives, but the percent positive rates were also down shortly after the spike.

While cases rose early in the year, USC officials remained publicly confident in the school’s ability to test, quarantine and do contact tracing, according to a Sept. 1 article from The State.

Throughout the school year, videos and photos have surfaced showing large crowds of people gathered in student apartment complexes or off-campus areas popular with students. USC President Robert Caslen has said classrooms and on-campus buildings are safe, but off-campus gatherings are spreading coronavirus.

Caslen has attributed the decline in cases to students acting more responsibly.

This story was originally published September 22, 2020 at 5:12 PM.