Dashboard
While routine surveillance testing will return with the beginning of the semester, Purdue University has been focused over the Holiday period on testing symptomatic patients and those who have been identified as close contacts of those who have tested positive, a significantly lower volume. Because of this, positivity rates are influenced and expected to be elevated for several more weeks.
The Protect Purdue Health Center continues to be available 24/7 by phone at 765-496-INFO (4636) or toll-free at 833-571-1043, and testing continues to be available on-campus at no cost for all faculty, staff, students, spouses and dependents throughout the winter break period.
This dashboard shows ongoing COVID-19 results for testing administered by the Protect Purdue Health Center since Aug. 1, 2021, for faculty, staff and students, including student-athletes and the results of Purdue’s ongoing surveillance testing. Tests and results are included once results are received, and are displayed by the date the test was performed.
Additionally, this dashboard shows:
- The occupancy of our campus isolation and quarantine space.
- The reported severity of COVID-19 cases.
- The number of COVID-19-associated hospitalizations.
- The share of our campus population that has been vaccinated against COVID-19.
Included below this dashboard are overall testing results from the 2020-21 academic year, as well as the results of pre-arrival student testing conducted before the Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters and surveillance testing conducted during the Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters.
All data is preliminary and likely to change as additional test results are received, leading to the number of tests and/or cases on a given day going up a few days later.
2020-21 COVID-19 Testing Summary
The following figures represent a summary of the results for testing administered by the Protect Purdue Health Center August 1, 2020-July 31, 2021 for faculty, staff and students, including student-athletes and the results of Purdue’s ongoing surveillance testing.
Overall
218,650
Total Tests Performed
6,247
Total Positive Results
2.86%
Overall Positivity Rate
Fall 2020
August 1, 2020 – December 31, 2020
92,427
Tests Performed
3,934
Positive Results
4.26%
Positivity Rate
Spring 2021
January 1, 2021 – May 8, 2021
122,215
Tests Performed
2,255
Positive Results
1.85%
Positivity Rate
Summer 2021
May 9, 2021 – July 31, 2021
4,008
Tests Performed
58
Positive Results
1.45%
Positivity Rate
2020-21 Surveillance Testing
Purdue’s comprehensive surveillance testing program for the 2020-21 academic year, a proven strategy for monitoring the health of a community, included targeted and random testing for on-campus students and a combination of random and weekly testing for certain on-campus employees, with the goal of testing approximately 10% of the campus each week.
Fall 2020 Surveillance Testing Results
The final results of our fall surveillance testing program are shown below for surveillance testing conducted Aug. 24-Nov. 20, 2020 (the conclusion of the last full week of on-campus instruction and weekly random testing). Weekly testing of certain employees critical to campus operations continued throughout the winter break period.
Overall
40,969
Tests
748
Positive Results
1.83%
Positivity Rate
Students
36,983
Tests
684
Positive Results
1.85%
Positivity Rate
Employees
3,986
Tests
64
Positive Results
1.61%
Positivity Rate
Spring 2021 Surveillance Testing Results
Based on learnings from the fall, the comprehensive surveillance testing plan for the spring semester included heightened testing of certain groups. Spring surveillance testing was conducted Jan. 18-April 23, 2021; final results are shown below.
Overall
72,289
Tests
839
Positive Results
1.16%
Positivity Rate
Students
64,402
Tests
800
Positive Results
1.24%
Positivity Rate
Employees
7,887
Tests
39
Positive Results
0.49%
Positivity Rate
Pre-Arrival Student Testing
To prevent a possible influx of COVID-19 cases to our campus and community, all undergraduate students in the residential option, as well as all West Lafayette-bound graduate and professional program students, were required to be tested for COVID-19 and be cleared for campus access by the Protect Purdue Health Center before the start of the semester. In line with CDC recommendations that anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19 not be retested for 90 days, students who tested positive within 90 days of the start of classes were not required to retest. Any student who did not submit a test result was not cleared to access campus.
Fall 2020 Final Pre-Arrival Testing Results
37,959
Students Tested
272
Positive Results
0.72%
Positivity Rate
Spring 2021 Final Pre-Arrival Testing Results
36,491
Students Tested
Includes 2,594 positive tests between Oct. 21-Dec. 20, 2020
1,012
Positive Results
Since Dec. 21, 2020
2.99%
Positivity Rate
Since Dec. 21, 2020 (Excludes 2,594 positive tests between Oct. 21-Dec. 20, 2020)
How were the students who tested positive cleared to come to campus?
Students who tested positive for COVID-19 during our pre-arrival testing were required to complete a 10-day isolation after the test (asymptomatic) or 10 days after symptom onset, guided by dedicated nurse case managers from the Protect Purdue Health Center, who provided them with medical clearance to come to campus after the required isolation period was complete.
WATCH: Eric Barker, dean of the College of Pharmacy and member of the Protect Purdue Implementation Team, discusses Purdue’s fall 2020 pre-arrival student testing on the TODAY Show.