University of Maine System COVID Data by Campus
The Together For Maine Update for 11/17/20 is also posted online
42 — Known Case of UMS students or employees in public health agency Isolation among the more than 30,000 students, faculty, and staff in the University of Maine System community.
- 30 UMaine:
- 5 employees complete and are released from isolation
- 5 new cases involving 2 employees, 2 commuter students and 1 remote student
- 1 UMA: 1 employee completes and is released from isolation
- 0 UMF:
- 0 UMFK: 2 students complete and are released from isolation
- 1 UMM:
- 0 UMPI: 1 employee released from isolation due to false positive, UMPI News below
- 10 USM: 4 new cases involving commuter students
- 0 Maine Law
4 of the 40 cases are residence hall students: Of the 40 cases reported above there are four (4) active known cases among residence hall students in the UMS.
- 2 UMaine
- 2 USM
Isolation and Quarantine Capacity Remains Very Strong: 95% of UMS quarantine space and 99% of UMS isolation space is available.
The above Data reflects ACTIVE known cases identified through the UMS asymptomatic screening and other testing venues. When an individual is released from an isolation order by a public health agency the active case number shared in the Together for Maine daily update is reduced to reflect that change. UMS is reporting 43 known cases today, one case fewer than the cases reported in the 11/16/20 update.
Asymptomatic Screening Update for Fall Safe Return
- 31,868 Test Results to Date
- 51 positives results representing new diagnoses of COVID-19
The Asymptomatic Screening Dashboard at Together.Maine.edu represents known results on all asymptomatic tests going back to July 22, 2020. About 48 hours passes from the time a test sample is collected and when the results are known.
UMS News
Quick Facts About Final Week of Fall Safe Return
- Final Full Week of In-Person Classes: Monday, November 16th marks the start of the final full week of in-person classes for the Fall 2020 semester. The University of Maine System transitions to remote instruction at the Thanksgiving break. In-person instruction resumes January 25, 2021 for the spring semester.
- Wastewater Tests Negative for COVID Virus: Wastewater samples collected at UMaine, UMFK, and USM – Gorham on 11/9 – 11/10 were negative for the virus that causes COVID.
- Safe Departure Testing Underway: The University of Maine System is now conducting its final round of statewide asymptomatic testing for the fall semester. Approximately 8,000 tests will be conducted to help send resident hall and out-of-state students home safely with a negative test in hand and to monitor for the disease.
University News
UMaine
UMA
UMF
UMFK
UMM
UMPI: President Ray Rice shares news that UMPI had a false positive, 11/17/20:
Dear UMPI Community,
With just a few days left before our shift to remote learning, UMPI is again in an exceptional situation. We’ve learned that our first known case of COVID-19 has been declared a false positive. Our testing provider made the highly unusual move of reversing the positive test result based on follow-up testing. The Vault PCR test we use, which has the best accuracy and lowest false result rates of the types of tests currently available, has a 1% false positive rate nationally.
This means a few important things for our campus. First and foremost, it means that Maine public health authorities have received this updated result and that, in conjunction with the Maine CDC, the UMPI employee involved and those who were identified as close contacts through contact tracing have been released from quarantine/isolation. We’d like to thank everyone involved for their patience and understanding as we followed our contact tracing procedures. That work was done in consultation with public health officials and based on the positive test result we had at the time. We all would have preferred a situation in which no one had entered quarantine/isolation, but we are grateful that this officially confirmed false positive result allowed individuals to return to their normal routines and participate more fully in these final in-person days on campus.
This also means that UMPI officially has had no (0) positive cases of COVID-19 to date, which will be reflected in the University of Maine System’s next Together For Maine daily update. I attribute this statistic–no positive cases to date–to the diligence and ethic of care that members of our campus community have demonstrated during the past weeks and months. My special thanks to everyone for this– as our news feed is only too full in these past 48 hours of higher education institutions having to deal with outbreaks and closures. Your diligence truly makes UMPI a safer place.
Finally, this means that our contingency plans worked as intended–an incredibly important reassurance to have during a very uncertain time. The Maine public health officials we partner with on this effort noted that our initial response to the situation was immediate, remarkably efficient, and incredibly thorough. So my thanks to everyone involved–from Emergency Response to Facilities to Student Affairs–for the absolutely perfect response throughout this process. And my further thanks to everyone who is working hard to keep each other safe these last few days on campus together, especially those involved in this final round of tests before departures. All of your efforts–from hand-washing to mask-wearing to social distancing–are so appreciated and prepare us for a great start of the Spring semester in January.
Stay safe,
Ray
USM
Maine Law