Dashboard
(last updated December 18, 2020)
The following metrics are updated daily, Monday through Friday, and are based on the data reported to VCU Student Health Services and Employee Health. Learn more about COVID-19 testing and screening at VCU. This information is not updated on weekends or days the university is closed, including holidays and winter break. Results from weekends, holidays and breaks will be reported the next business day.
Definitions
Active cases
Active cases are the number of people who have tested positive and are in isolation either on-campus or off-campus. Any reduction in cases indicates individuals being cleared to return to work or class.
Isolation and quarantine
Isolation separates those who test positive from people who are not sick. Quarantine separates and restricts the movement of those who may have been exposed to see if they become sick. Isolation and quarantine information presented below is specific to on-campus residential students. Off-campus students and employees may also be isolated or quarantined. Any reduction in cases indicates individuals being cleared to return to work or class.
Symptomatic testing
This is the number of tests conducted for those with symptoms of COVID-19. This number includes the number of tests conducted at VCU Health testing sites as well as those that are conducted outside of VCU and later self-reported.
Asymptomatic surveillance testing
VCU tests a percentage of asymptomatic community members Monday through Thursday to gauge the proportion of people with COVID-19 in the VCU community. This was previously referred to as "asymptomatic prevalence testing." VCU's Public Health Response Team monitors the asymptomatic positivity rate as an indicator of the prevalence of COVID-19 in our community. The goal is to test 5% of residential students and 2% of non-residential students and employees on a monthly basis.
Entry testing
Residential students are mailed test kits to conduct COVID-19 testing prior to move-in. VCU restricts move-in for students who test positive. Positive entry test results received prior to the start of fall classes and are not included in the active case totals.
% positive
This is the percentage of total tests in each category.
Total cases
The total case number is the number of VCU community members who have been known to test positive for COVID-19 since the start of classes. This table shows the changes in active cases over time.
Total tests
This table shows the number of tests in each test category. VCU continues to conduct symptomatic testing and asymptomatic surveillance testing. Entry testing is conducted for residential students prior to move-in.
- Active student cases of COVID-19: 32
- Active employee cases of COVID-19: 11
- As reported to Student Health Services and Employee Health. See reporting requirements below.
- Positive: 515
- Negative: 1538
- Total: 2053
- % Positive: 25.1%
- Positive tests: 10
- Negative tests: 4412
- Total: 4422
- % Positive: 0.23%*
Entry
- Positive tests: 19
- Negative tests: 4572
- Total: 4591
- % Positive: 0.41%
Exit
- Positive tests: 2
- Negative tests: 1258
- Total: 1260
- % Positive: 0.16%
- Residential students currently in isolation on-campus: 0
- Residential students currently in quarantine on-campus: 1
- Total number of residential students: 1,081
*VCU's Public Health Response Team monitors the asymptomatic positivity rate as an indicator of the prevalence of COVID-19 in our community. This rate is monitored alongside the Richmond area's positivity rate as reported by the Virginia Department of Health (VDH). Representatives of VDH work closely with VCU's Public Health Response Team to guide our decision-making process. The Richmond percent positivity seven-day moving average as of Dec. 14 is 7.4%. Note, VDH does not track positivity rates by symptomatic and asymptomatic, which makes direct comparisons difficult. VCU and VDH are working together to determine a comparable metric accounting for the differences in population size and other factors and continue to work in partnership to monitor the prevalence of COVID-19 in our community.
Total cases
| Date | New student cases of COVID-19 | New employee cases of COVID-19 |
|---|---|---|
| Week ending Aug. 23 | 69 | 11 |
| Week ending Aug. 30 | 82 | 1 |
| Week ending Sept. 4 | 46 | 3 |
| Week ending Sept. 11 | 20 | 7 |
| Week ending Sept. 18 | 18 | 1 |
| Week ending Sept. 25 | 11 | 3 |
| Week ending Oct. 2 | 13 | 3 |
| Week ending Oct. 9 | 21 | 1 |
| Week ending Oct. 16 | 28 | 2 |
| Week ending Oct. 23 | 12 | 5 |
| Week ending Oct. 30* | 13 | 4 |
| Week ending Nov. 6 | 25 | 6 |
| Week ending Nov. 13 | 22 | 7 |
| Week ending Nov. 20 | 23 | 5 |
| Week ending Nov. 25 | 12 | 5 |
| Week ending Dec. 5 | 32 | 5 |
| Week ending Dec. 11 | 26 | 8 |
| Week ending Dec. 18 | 20 | 7 |
| Week ending Dec. 25 | 3 | 7 |
| Week ending Jan. 1 | 1 | 8 |
| Total cases | 497 | 99 |
*The total student case count increased by 21 on October 29 due to the discovery of a data reporting error. The total number of positive student cases was off by 21 over the course of 11 weeks. The total student case count as well as the weekly student case counts have been modified to reflect the correct number of positive cases.
Total tests
| Test type | Negative | Positive | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Symptomatic | 1,632 | 551 | 2,183 |
| Suveillance | 4,775 | 14 | 4,789 |
| Entry | 4,572 | 19 | 4,591 |
| Exit | 1,258 | 2 | 1,260 |
| At-will | 139 | 1 | 140 |
| Total tests | 12,376 | 587 | 12,963 |
About this dashboard
VCU's COVID-19 dashboard provides transparent details about the number of positive cases in our community and additional numbers related to testing, numbers of those in quarantine and in isolation. The dashboard will be updated daily Monday through Friday and will be the most accurate way to track COVID-19 at VCU.
It is important to note that VCU will not widely communicate details about individual cases to the community or to media out of respect for the privacy of any COVID-19 patients. Several privacy laws apply to the communication of information about students, employees, and patients that could result in the unintentional disclosure of individual health information and status. For this reason, VCU plans on providing data on the dashboard in an aggregated format and does not provide information on particular groups or specific locations so as to avoid the inadvertent identification of individuals' health information and status.
Working with our partners in the Virginia Department of Health, our Student Health and Employee Health offices will work to notify individuals reported to them who may have been exposed to a confirmed COVID-19 so that they may monitor their own health symptoms and self-quarantine.
Virginia Department of Health
VDH COVID-19 Daily Dashboard
Centers for Disease Control
Cases in the United States
VCU reserves more than 50 isolation and quarantine housing rooms in Gladding Residence Center III, which serves as VCU's primary facility for isolation and quarantine. Isolation rooms are also available in the former Honors College residence hall for on-campus students who test positive for COVID-19. Combined, this provides 160 on-campus isolation rooms.
The upper floors of the Honors College residence hall were reserved this year for VCU Health System overflow hospital space, which has not been needed to this point during the pandemic. VCU relocated impacted academic activities from these spaces. For more information about isolation and housing, visit housing.vcu.edu/together/isolation_quarantine/.
Students and employees who test positive for COVID-19 or experience symptoms related to COVID-19 must report it to Student Health Services or Employee Health by calling 1-804-MYCOVID or 1-804-692-6843. Student Health Services and Employee Health Services report information to the Virginia Department of Health (VDH). VCU and the Virginia Department of Health work together to contact those who are known to have been exposed to someone who tests positive for COVID-19 so they may monitor their health and quarantine.
Student Health Services and Employee Health refer individuals with symptoms for testing at VCU Health testing sites. Students and employees who test at a primary care physician or other non-VCU affiliated testing facility, must self-report their test results to Student Health Services or Employee Health. VCU does not refer individuals to outside facilities and informs students and employees that, if they choose to test outside of VCU, they must report test results. Student Health Services conducts extensive case management with those who report symptoms and test positive, as well as works with contact tracers to contact those who may have been exposed, and actively follows up with students who are referred for testing but have not yet reported results.