Penn State Athletics has continued to see a downturn in COVID-19 cases reporting 16 positive results over 987 tests with nine results still pending for the previous week’s testing period.
All fall sport student-athletes are tested daily for COVID-19 and in turn, total tests are not indicative of total individuals.
Wednesday’s results were part of the department’s weekly testing release and the second-straight week of declining positives. Three weeks ago Penn State reported 48 positive tests which prompted the suspension of several programs for a two week period. The following week the department reported 50 positive results.
Since then, Penn State Athletics has reported 20 positive tests, and now 16 in the most recent update. Test results are the aggregate total for the previous seven-day period.
For programs across the Big Ten, COVID-19 testing will continue to be a key part of the success to any upcoming football season. Penn State football has yet to report a positive result, although the department does not identify which programs or which athletes have contracted to virus.
Penn State reported on Tuesday 352 additional COVID-19 cases among students attending University Park since the school’s last update on Friday. Student-Athletes are included in this total. Centre County reported 43 new cases on Wednesday.
The Big Ten requires that all COVID-19 positive athletes sit out 21 days following the result. League officials cited 14 days as per CDC guidelines and an additional week to get back into playing shape following quarantine.
Various testing requirements and standards for play are as follows.
- Team positivity rate (number of positive tests divided by total number of tests administered):
- Green 0-2%
- Orange 2-5%
- Red >5%
- Population positivity rate (number of positive individuals divided by total population at risk): Population rate includes coaches and other in-program, non student-athlete personnel.
- Green 0-3.5%
- Orange 3.5-7.5%
- Red >7.5%
Decisions to alter or halt practice and competition will be based on the following scenarios:
- Green/Green and Green/Orange: Team continues with normal practice and competition.
- Orange/Orange and Orange/Red: Team must proceed with caution and enhance COVID-19 prevention (alter practice and meeting schedule, consider viability of continuing with scheduled competition).
- Red/Red: Team must stop regular practice and competition for a minimum of seven days and reassess metrics until improved.
