Auburn releases weekly COVID-19 data showing improved isolation/quarantine capacity

Auburn University on Tuesday updated its COVID-19 dashboard for the seven-day period covering August 31 — September 6.

The university’s dashboard, which is expected to be updated every Tuesday for the rest of the fall semester, advised that 587 students across Auburn’s campuses in Lee County tested positive for coronavirus during that latest publicized time period.

The week prior, 509 individuals on Auburn’s Lee County campuses tested positive during the timeframe of August 22 — 28. Those campuses include the main campus, as well as the Auburn University Airport and E.W. Shell Fisheries Center.

Neither of these subtotals include entry testing. Each student, faculty and staff member coming to campus for the fall semester was mandated to take a COVID-19 entry test; those results showed 4% of Auburn’s total student population for the fall testing positive. This equated to Auburn having 859 positives out of a total of 21,315 administered entry tests.

At least 6.4% of Auburn students who initially tested negative on entry testing have since tested positive as of September 6.

Numbers reflected in Tuesday’s updated dashboard includes students who either tested positive at Auburn University Medical Center or who self-reported a positive test conducted elsewhere. An Auburn University spokesperson has told Yellowhammer News that students are required to self-report all positives tests to the university.

All students who are positive are also required to quarantine and isolate. This can occur in Auburn’s designated on-campus space or off-campus at an appropriate residence of a student’s choice.

A spokesperson informed Yellowhammer News that “only about half” of Auburn’s on-campus quarantine/isolation housing capacity was filled as of Tuesday morning. That space was 67% filled seven days ago.

“The number of beds in use is a fluid one on a daily basis as students check in and out. … Students can quarantine either on or off campus, so the on-campus quarantine bed numbers reflect those students who preferred to stay on campus and chose not to exercise other options such as going home or another location,” the spokesperson explained.

There was more good news on Tuesday. The spokesperson stated that no students have been hospitalized with COVID to-date still, as far as the university is aware.

While the university’s dashboard showed the data from August 31 through September 6, as of Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. CT, prior/comprehensive data from the university had been taken off the website. A message on the site said, “Previously reported COVID-19 case data is being reevaluated to ensure all cases counted involved current members of the AU Community and that no cases were double counted. Updated data will be published here as soon as that data reconciliation is complete.”

It should further be noted that data from August 29 and August 30 was not included in either this week’s update or last week’s. The spokesperson said this resulted from Auburn adjusting to Monday through Sunday reporting periods moving forward, starting with the latest data set. With the comprehensive data being unavailable, it is unclear if/how those two dates change Auburn’s overall numbers.

In related news, Auburn launched sentinel testing on Tuesday, which is a form of sampling to be conducted via GuideSafe through the end of this semester.

Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn