COVID-19 update: Campus cases continue to decrease

Nora+Rafaty+and+Hulya+Goodwin%2C+students+in+LAS%2C+study+in+the+upstairs+lounge+of+Ikenberry+Commons+on+Sept.+18+while+wearing+masks.+COVID-19+cases+have+decreased+in+the+last+week.

Cameron Krasucki

Nora Rafaty and Hulya Goodwin, students in LAS, study in the upstairs lounge of Ikenberry Commons on Sept. 18 while wearing masks. COVID-19 cases have decreased in the last week.

By Sophie Casaburi, Staff Writer

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases on campus has decreased from last week. 

This week the University recorded 33 new cases, according to the University testing dashboard. This is a decrease from the 58 new cases from the previous week, with a 7-day positivity rate of 0.18%.

The highest number of new cases for this week was reported on Monday and Thursday with 10 new cases each day. This is a decrease from the highest recorded number of cases in one day on Aug. 30, with 74 positive cases.

Compared to Champaign County, the University’s 7-day positivity rate is lower than the county’s, which is 6.2%, excluding University data. However, including the University, the 7-day positivity rate is 4.6%. The county recorded 238 new cases on Sept. 19 since Sept. 12.

In Champaign County, the greatest density of cases is in Rantoul, with 110 active cases. The University area has the second-greatest density of cases.

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Additionally, the greatest number of cases by age comes from those 20 to 30 years old, with 440 cases for that age bracket thus far for September.

Compared to the rest of the state, the Illinois Department of Public Health records 3,304 statewide cases as of Sept. 24. Illinois has a 7-day test positivity rate of 38%.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Champaign County is an area of high transmission, along with the majority of the country. 

However, hospitalizations remain relatively low in comparison to the rest of the country, accounting for just 0.2% of cases. 

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