The University of Georgia says there were 33 positive tests for coronavirus in the latest week of campus COVID testing: that’s an increase of one from the week before. 30 were students and three were staff members: no UGA faculty members tested positive.

Surveillance tests were administered to 1,005 individuals at the Legion Field surveillance site and in a satellite location. Of those tested, nine yielded positive results for a positivity rate of .896 percent, the sixth straight week that the rate has remained below 1 percent.

“It is clear that we have flattened the curve here at UGA, and that is very encouraging, particularly as we are ramping up our vaccination efforts,” said Dr. Garth Russo, executive director of the University Health Center and chair of UGA’s Medical Oversight Task Force. “However, I am disappointed to see how much interest in surveillance testing has waned.

“Regardless of your vaccine status, please continue to participate in surveillance testing at Legion Field,” Russo said. “The integrity of the vaccination program—including our ability to detect the influence of variants in the community—depends on broad participation that is representative of the community as a whole. We will be able to relax our efforts in the future, but now is not the time to do so.”

Cox Media Group