BREAKING: Mercer announces 10 new cases of COVID-19
Image: Ian Henshaw
Mercer University announced 10 new cases of the novel coronavirus between its Macon and Atlanta campuses in its weekly testing summary published Friday. That’s the lowest number of positive cases reported in a weekly update this fall.
Between Sept. 25 and Oct. 1, six students on the Macon campus and four students on the Atlanta campus tested positive for COVID-19.
These 10 positive cases came from a total of 594 completed tests, indicating a positivity rate of just 1.68% — the lowest since Mercer began reporting case numbers Aug. 21. The positivity rate measures the percentage of individuals who were tested and received a positive result.
Overall, the number of positive cases decreased significantly from last week, from 14 new cases to 10, while testing jumped slightly since last week from 571 tests last week to 594 tests this week.
Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, Mercer has documented 269 total positive cases among students, faculty and staff across all campuses.
Members of the Mercer community are directed to call Mercer Medicine at (478) 301-4111 or the Student Health Center 24/7 hotline at (478) 301-7425 if they begin displaying symptoms. Students who are enrolled in a course in which a student has tested positive will receive an email notifying them of their risk.
Caitlyn Patton contributed reporting.
Emily Rose Thorne is a senior double-majoring in journalism and women’s and gender studies. Rose has been involved with The Cluster since 2017 as Lead...
Caitlyn Patton is a graduate student originally from Durham, North Carolina, currently studying Electrical Engineering. She is enrolled in...
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