As it prepares to kick off the fall semester, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln is setting new marks for the most COVID-19 tests completed in a single day and charting a positivity rate below 1%.
Since launching spit-based, re-entry testing for all students, faculty and staff on Aug. 15, the university has completed 11,686 individual tests. That total includes a new single-day, campus testing record of 5,647 completed on Aug. 17, which exceeds the university’s previous high of 4,112 tests at the start of the spring 2021 semester.
In the most recent data published on the university’s COVID-19 Dashboard, 28 positives were measured out of 4,558 tests completed on Aug. 18. The positivity rate for the day is 0.61%.
Through the first four days of re-entry testing (Aug. 15-18), the university’s 11,686 tests resulted in 60 positive cases. The positivity rate over that span is 0.51%. And, through the previous 14 days (Aug. 5-18), 14,313 tests were completed with 98 positives, resulting in a positivity rate of 0.68%.
Launched in August 2020, the university’s COVID-19 Dashboard is a resource for the campus community, reporting the most recent virus trends to students, faculty and staff. Data presented includes daily results (starting from Aug. 15, 2020), results over the previous 14 days and the positivity rate for the previous two weeks.
The dashboard reflects testing of all students (including those from the University of Nebraska Medical Center and University of Nebraska at Omaha who are based on the Lincoln campuses), faculty, staff and affiliates. Data is provided by the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department.
The COVID-19 Dashboard was updated weekly during summer sessions. It now is being updated daily for the fall semester.
The university will continue to offer its free, saliva-based COVID-19 testing to the campus community. All students, faculty and staff must complete a single round of re-entry testing by Aug. 22. Weekly tests will be required for all students, faculty and staff who opt to not participate in the university’s Voluntary COVID-19 Vaccine Registry.
Learn more about testing and the university’s ongoing COVID-19 response, including all public health protection measures.
