UW Reports Seven New COVID-19 Cases in Past Five Days; Active Cases Decline

Seven cases of COVID-19 have been detected among members of the University of Wyoming community in the past five days, all but one of them off campus.

That brings the total of UW-related cases since the pandemic began to 75, as reported through pre-return testing of over 12,000 UW students and employees; testing conducted by UW’s Student Health Service; and self-reporting by students and employees tested by other providers.

The number of active cases, meanwhile, dropped from 30 on Aug. 26 to 26 at present, as 49 individuals have recovered. Of the current active cases, one is a student living on campus; 19 are students living off campus; and six are UW employees living off campus.

The new cases reported in the past five days are the one student living on campus; two employees in Laramie; and four students living off campus.

The university is using a third-party provider, Vault Health, to conduct the pre-return testing, as well as random-sample “bridge” testing of students and employees on campus as part of Phase 1 of UW’s phased return plan. As of today, 12,779 tests have been processed by Vault Health, 959 of those as part of the bridge testing. A small number of employees and students have taken the test twice.

Testing is one of three key components of UW’s plan to allow for an on-campus experience this fall, along with contact tracing and quarantine/isolation of individuals who are exposed or infected. Under the university’s COVID policy, all employees who test positive -- on campus or off campus -- are required to report those results. Those who receive a positive test result from a private provider should call UW’s COVID Hotline at 307-766-COVD (2683) or email COVID19@uwyo.edu.