COVID-19 Vaccine Activity at the UHC
The University of Georgia strongly encourages all members of the University community who are able to get vaccinated to do so. Students, faculty, staff, dependents (ages 16 and above), and those with defined extended eligibility can receive a vaccine at the University Health Center. Those wishing to schedule a vaccine appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine should visit healthcenter.uga.edu/healthtopics/covid-vaccine.
Cumulative and weekly vaccination activity is presented in the table below. All who are eligible to receive a vaccine per FDA approval may receive their vaccine at any community vaccination site. For that reason, the vaccine numbers presented below are not reflective of the vaccination status of the campus at large. Reports for Clarke County and surrounding counties, presented in the DPH’s vaccine dashboard, are most reflective of the level of participation of the immediate region.
For more information about COVID-19 vaccines please visit our FAQ page.
COVID-19 Testing Data
Members of the University community have legitimate interests in information about the status and impact of COVID-19 on our campus communities in Athens and elsewhere. At the same time, individual faculty, staff, and students have strong interests in the privacy of their own sensitive health information, and we are legally obligated to keep that information confidential. Please do not publicly identify impacted individuals–even if you believe you or others know who they are–so they can focus completely on their health. As a community, we should support these individuals and one another through this incredibly difficult time, while respecting individual privacy. The University’s objective is to share relevant and reliable data that inform our campus community while also respecting individual privacy and preventing confusion.
The University receives COVID-19 testing data for the University community from three sources: self-reported positive test results through DawgCheck, asymptomatic testing conducted at UHC, and clinical testing conducted at UHC.
The data presented in the graphs below are derived from reports received through Sunday, September 20, 2021, and are based on testing dates. This page is updated every Wednesday. Survey-based reports received after Tuesday will be included in next week’s report.
Positive COVID-19 Tests Reported Through DawgCheck
Faculty, staff, and students are required to report any positive COVID-19 test through DawgCheck (a tool accessed through the UGA Mobile App or the DawgCheck mobile-friendly website). Positive tests reported through DawgCheck from any of the approximately 50,000 faculty, staff, and students connected to the University may include reports from individuals who have not been on campus recently, there may be delays in reporting, and the totals may even include individuals who have recovered. Therefore, the data do not serve as an accurate barometer of the current status of COVID-19 at any point in time at any one of UGA’s campuses. For the week of September 12, 2021, there were 77 positive COVID-19 tests reported through DawgCheck.
The table below reflects the total number of positive test results reported through DawgCheck each week. It is updated every Wednesday.
Please note that the chart above is comprehensive. Because all students and employees are required to report positive test results through DawgCheck, the totals above include positive test results from asymptomatic testing conducted on campus. Therefore, positive tests through asymptomatic testing reported below should not be added to the positive tests reported above to achieve a total number of positive tests.
Clinical COVID-19 Tests Conducted at UHC
Because clinical testing at the UHC is for students showing symptoms when tested, it is expected that these clinical tests have a significantly higher positivity rate than surveillance testing of individuals who are asymptomatic when tested. For the week of September 12, 2021, UHC conducted a total of 502 clinical tests, with 18 positive results, for a positivity rate of 3.5%.
UGA COVID-19 Surveillance Data
At the recommendation of the University’s Medical Oversight Task Force, the University began conducting COVID-19 surveillance testing when campus reopened in August 2020 to help identify individuals who do not have COVID-19 symptoms but who may spread the virus to others. UGA’s surveillance testing is voluntary and at no cost to participants. Since its inception, more than 75,000 surveillance tests have been conducted on campus. Specimen analysis and reporting is conducted by the Veterinary Medicine Diagnostic Lab (VDL). The VDL is certified (CLIA) to perform high complexity testing of human samples.
UGA asymptomatic testing program activity is presented as a weekly sum of tests performed and the positivity rate, which, for trending purposes, is presented longitudinally below. Data are posted each Wednesday for the prior work week to accommodate the time needed to obtain and process results. When test results from the current week are delayed beyond the cutoff time needed to prepare the data for presentation on Wednesday, it is added in as part of the following week’s report attributed to the actual day of the testing. This means that historical data may change. Date ranges are Monday-Friday to reflect that UGA’s asymptomatic testing is done on weekdays.
In addition to asymptomatic testing conducted at UHC and analyzed by the Veterinary Medicine Diagnostic Lab, the University periodically provides “pop-up” testing at various locations on campus, using Vault saliva test kits.
Asymptomatic Testing data for the week of September 13-19, 2021 includes:
- 1196 tests were conducted through both Vault Testing and the Veterinary Medicine Diagnostic Lab. There were 8 positive results, for a positivity rate of 0.7%.
- Participation by role for this week is 10% faculty, 20% staff, and 70% students.
Participation in surveillance testing plays a vital role in keeping our community safe.
As noted above, all students and employees are required to report positive test results through DawgCheck. Positive tests performed by the VDL and the UHC are routinely reconciled with reports submitted through DawgCheck. Therefore, the surveillance data presented in this section are included in the total number of positive tests presented in the comprehensive DawgCheck information at the top of this report.
Contact Tracing and Notifications
As noted above, all students and employees are required to report positive test results through DawgCheck. Positive tests performed by the VDL and the UHC are routinely reconciled with reports submitted through DawgCheck. Therefore, the surveillance data presented in this section are included in the total number of positive tests presented in the comprehensive DawgCheck information at the top of this report.
COVID-19 Information in Georgia
In addition to the data reported above, we encourage you to access the Georgia Department of Public Health’s website. DPH collects and posts data specific to all 159 Georgia counties on its Daily Status Report. You can scroll to the state map and hover over the desired county to see the latest information on count and trend lines.
When UGA learns of positive cases, they are reported to DPH in a timely manner and in the county where individuals are currently located. Therefore, the DPH Daily Status Report provides members of our community an accurate and relevant assessment of the number of cases in the areas where they live and work.