Rutgers issues updated coronavirus testing results

Rutgers released its Weekly University Health Update yesterday with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) testing data for the week of March 14 to March 20.

Of the 7,273 tests performed, 66 came back positive and 7,190 came back negative, according to the email. Seventeen tests were inconclusive, according to the University’s Testing Program Dashboard.

Students made up 42 of the positive test results, with 23 employees and one Rutgers affiliate also testing positive, according to the dashboard.

Rutgers—New Brunswick had 35 positive test results, according to the dashboard. Rutgers—Newark had 14 positive test results, and Rutgers—Camden had four.

Additionally, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (RBHS)—Newark had three positive test results, and RBHS—New Brunswick/Piscataway had eight, according to the dashboard. Two off-site positive results were also recorded.

The weekly proportion positivity rate increased to 0.91 percent, compared to the previous week’s 0.55 percent, according to the dashboard. The rate has now increased for two consecutive weeks.

Since the start of the University’s testing program in May 2020, a total of 186,280 tests were performed, with 2,348 positive results, 183,306 negative results and 626 inconclusive tests, according to the dashboard. Overall, 1.26 percent of tests came back positive, while 98.4 percent came back negative.

Editor's Note: A previous version of this article stated the proportion positivity rate increased for three consecutive weeks.