The CDC is recommending some vaccinated people to wear masks again to maximize protection and prevent spreading the Delta variant. As of Tuesday, UF did not provide comment on whether the university will be following the updated guidelines nor respond to questions regarding updates on its masking policies.
Thirty-seven students and 17 employees are quarantined or in isolation as of Tuesday. The numbers decreased by eight students and two employees since June 15.
After achieving a 0% positivity rate during the last week of May, UF maintained between a 0% and 1% seven-day positivity rate average from June 1 to 7.
UF saw a 0% positivity rate Friday with only two positive COVID-19 cases out of 691 tests conducted within seven days.
As of Tuesday evening, there were six active student cases and one active staff case. Active cases reflect ACPS students and staff who tested positive in the past 10 days.
The number of daily tests performed at UF also decreased. Testing rates dropped 30% from a daily average of 174 tests during the second week of May to 121 tests during the third.
UF announced May 17 that face coverings are no longer required on UF property, as all operations prepare to transition to pre-pandemic norms. The updated policies were announced through an university-wide email, which also announced that classroom, recreational and athletic activity will return to full capacity.
As of Tuesday, 107 UF students and 33 UF employees are currently quarantined or in isolation.
Experts at UF Health estimate between 70% and 80% of UF students have been vaccinated. At least 70% of the population needs to be immune to reach herd immunity, but other factors, such as variants and how people interact, can affect this level.
As of Tuesday, 116 UF students and 39 UF employees are currently in isolation or quarantined.
As of Tuesday night, there are eight students and three staff members who reported a positive test result to ACPS in the past 10 days.
From April 12 to Tuesday, nine UF employees and 70 students have tested positive for the virus — about half the number of employees and the same number of students who tested positive last week.
As of Tuesday afternoon, there are 16 active student cases and two active staff cases, representing students and staff who reported a positive test result to ACPS in the past 10 days. The district’s total enrollment is 26,679.
The Alligator spent two months analyzing and comparing state, county and university data. It found that the number of cases and tests reported by UF don’t match the cases in state reports. After talking to representatives and officials across the state, some pointed to different reporting methods and all directed to different agencies for explanations of how they report their numbers. Meanwhile, epidemiologists provided possible explanations for patterns and vagueness in university and state data.
A week after UF began vaccinating students, faculty and staff ages 16 and older, the university’s COVID-19 isolation numbers steadily decreased. Daily COVID-19 tests have also remained at a seven-day average positivity rate of 1% since March 12.
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