UCF’s Student Health Services has been made aware of 78 positive COVID-19 cases since March 10, according to a document obtained by Knight News.
UCF spokesman Chad Binette said almost all positive COVID-19 cases involve students, and many positive tests are a result of the university’s contact tracing efforts.
Between March 10 and May 20, the university’s health center was informed of 22 positive COVID-19 cases, according to the document. Not all individuals who contacted Student Health Services were on campus at the time.
“Many are the result of our contact tracing efforts — reaching out to others who have had close contact with someone who has tested positive and testing them,” Binette said in an email to Knight News on Wednesday.
So far in June, the university’s health center has actively traced and tested — or been notified of — 56 positive COVID-19 cases, according to the document.
“Many of the cases involve students whose social outings have overlapped,” Binette said. “The vast majority of the cases have involved students who are either asymptomatic or experienced only minor symptoms.”
Binette said most students that tested positive said they have not been on campus during the time when they could have been spreading the virus to others.
“Testing is important for tracking the virus and tracing to prevent further community spread,” Binette said. “We are already seeing that this process is effective.”
The Florida Department of Health reported 2,610 new positive COVID-19 cases on Wednesday — bringing the state to a total of 82,719 COVID-19 cases.
In a Wednesday news release, the health department said 10.3% of Tuesday’s new cases were positive, while 7.4% of Monday’s new cases were positive.
Housing Communities
Knight News has been made aware of some off-campus housing complexes that have sent notices, or general messages, to residents regarding positive COVID-19 cases.
This list does not include all housing complexes that could have positive cases — it is not complete and only reflects properties Knight News has been made aware of.
If you would like to help Knight News inform the community on this, email News@KnightNews.com.
Campus Crossings
Campus Crossings at Alafaya informed residents Monday evening of a presumptive positive COVID-19 case, according to an email.
“We continue to maintain enhanced preventative measures to minimize spreading the virus, including continuing to clean and sanitize common areas throughout the community,” the email sent to residents and guarantors reads.
Hub on Campus Orlando
The Hub sent an email on Tuesday informing residents an individual tested positive for COVID-19.
“The resident is maintaining self-isolation in their residence in their respective building,” the email states.
University House
University House informed its community that a resident tested positive on June 8.
“We have confirmed that this resident has self-quarantined in their apartment, promptly upon feeling symptoms. However, because the individual has recently been in the community office and clubhouse prior to showing symptoms, we are in the process of sanitizing these areas as a precaution,” the email states.
University House said in the June 8 email the areas the resident frequented would be sanitized and reopened the next day.
Knights Circle
Knights Circle informed its residents of a confirmed positive case within the community on June 11.
The Station
The Station, located in Seminole County, sent a general email on April 9 with the subject, “Community update regarding COVID-19 response.”
UCF’s Timeline:
On March 11, UCF advised students to return to their permanent residences and started remote learning on March 16.
“While no cases of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) have been reported at UCF, the university continues monitoring the virus’ spread and evaluating the many impacts it may have on our campus community,” UCF said in a March 11 update.
An individual tested positive and informed the university about the March 10 result, according to records obtained by Knight News, but it is not clear if the university was immediately informed of the result.
Michael Deichen, associate vice president of UCF Student Health Services, said on Tuesday each individual needs to play a part to prevent an outbreak in the UCF community.
“If you find yourself experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, I urge you to get tested at one of the UCF testing sites or at a location near you,” he said.
UCF’s COVID-19 testing site information can be found at the university’s coronavirus website.
Information for testing sites in Orange County can be found at the county’s website, and information for Seminole County’s testing sites can be found at PrepareSeminole.org.
This story has been updated with a different view of the same data, and an updated statement from UCF. Check back with Knight News for updates.
