Together for Maine Daily Briefing and COVID-19 Data Update: 2/17/21

 

University of Maine System COVID Data by Campus 

62 — 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.  

 

The University of Maine System has started the spring semester.  These data would also include university students or employees known to have an active case of COVID-19 but not necessarily living in the campus region or state.  

 

  • 39 UMaine:
  • 4 UMA: 
  • 4 UMF:  
  • 5 UMFK: 
  • 1 UMM:  
  • 0 UMPI: 
  • 9 USM: 
  • 0 Maine Law

 

The above Data reflects ACTIVE known cases identified through the UMS asymptomatic screening and verified self-reports of University students, faculty, and staff from independent testing.  When an individual completes their isolation period, the active case number shared in the Together for Maine daily update is reduced to reflect that change.  

 

UMS is reporting 62 known cases today, 14 more than the number reported in the last update. Today’s data reflects 15 new cases and 1 completion of isolation since the last update.  Prior updates are archived at Together.Maine.edu.

 

32 of the current active cases are residential students

  • 91% of university-administered quarantine space currently available
  • 79% of university-administered isolation spaces available

 

Asymptomatic Screening Update for 20-21 Academic Year

  • 64,776 Test Results to Date
  • 264 positive 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

On Track for Maine Testing Lab Operational:  The University of Maine System T3 Lab on the UMaine campus in Orono is now operational and processing results as part of the weekly universal testing for students and employees participating in in-person activities in the spring semester.  Soon approximately 16,000 tests per week will be processed at the lab, reducing waiting times for results.  

 

Wastewater Results Updated:  The wastewater monitoring results website has been updated with the results for last week.   The presence of SARS-coV-2 was detected in samples collected at UMaine and for the Town of Orono.  

 

UMS Scientific Advisory Board COVID-19 Testing Analysis:  The University of Maine System Science Advisory Board, chaired by President Joan Ferrini-Mundy, has reviewed the results of the latest data connected with COVID-19 testing.  This was the 1st round of Phase 6 testing for individuals. Phase 6 represents the ongoing testing of the in-person population – students, staff and faculty – for the spring semester.   This follows previous phases of testing in the fall, winter, and during the return of students for spring. For wastewater testing, the results are the latest version of testing at multiple campuses.

 

For the Phase 6, Round 1, of the individual testing, approximately 4,900 tests were completed with 20 positive results received from across the University of Maine System.  The positivity rate was 0.41%.  The Round 1 sampling period ended February 7.  Additionally, the current 14-day positivity rate of the University System’s testing is 0.34% as of February 17, representing 38 positive results among approximately 11,288 results during that past two weeks. This two-week information is posted on the University’s online testing dashboard.  A positivity rate for Round 2 for which sample collection ended on February 14 will be calculated and included in a future update once those results are fully returned.  The national positivity rate is currently estimated at 5.5%.  Maine’s overall 7-day positivity rate is variable but is at 1.3%, per Maine CDC as of February 16. 

 

The Board also estimates a prevalence rate.  A prevalence rate is a different measure from the positivity rate. A positivity rate is the percentage of tests that are positive out of the total number of tests conducted. While the University System’s current testing protocol includes all in-person students, staff and faculty, in practice there are always bona fide exceptions or variations and other reasons why a test result is not obtained for every single member of the group.  So, the Board estimates the prevalence rate to understand the number of positive tests that would result if it were truly possible to test every single member of the population without exception.  Base on the data for the just completed Round 1 of Phase 6, the data support an inference with 95% confidence that the University System’s in-person population had an estimated prevalence rate of not more than 0.6% during that period.  

The University System and SAB also have launched a new dashboard for reporting Wastewater Testing results.  Wastewater is sampled at each participating campus and the SAB monitors the test results for increasing or decreasing trends.  This surveillance testing serves as a check on the individual testing occurring on each campus and as a mechanism for obtaining a potential early warning of an increase in the disease.