Lehigh University’s COVD-19 Response Team announced on Nov. 12 that this week’s surveillance tests of 659 students on and off campus returned 20 positive cases — a positivity rate of 3.03 percent. There are now 36 active cases of COVID-19 among students in the Bethlehem area, up from just seven active cases on Nov. 9.
On top of students being tested, approximately 100 faculty members were tested as well, yielding zero positive results. However, the email said the increase in student positivity is concerning and warrants a reissued warning to limit contact with others in any setting where masks are inaccessible.
The update from Lehigh comes at a time where the daily number of cases in Pennsylvania has skyrocketed in the past few weeks. On Nov. 11 alone, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 4,711 COVID-19 cases, over double the amount of daily cases reported during the spring peak seen in April 2020.
This round of testing concludes Lehigh’s fall semester surveillance testing efforts.
To mitigate the risk of students returning home for Thanksgiving with COVID-19, Lehigh’s Health Center is offering tests on Nov. 17 and 18 for non-remote students.
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