LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) - Early testing as students and staff returned to the University of Kansas turned up 89 coronavirus cases, with a large majority involving fraternities and sororities, the university said Thursday.
The university said 87 students and two faculty or staff members tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, KMBC-TV reported.
The tests were conducted before the beginning of activities and classes. The university has seen a positivity rate of 1.25% for the 7,088 tests conducted so far.
“This positivity rate is in line with what we’ve expected and prepared for as we began this process in consultation with our Pandemic Medical Advisory Team,” Chancellor Douglas A. Girod said.
University officials in a Wednesday night conference call were told that 70% of student cases involved members of fraternities and sororities, the Lawrence Journal-World reported.
Testing is mandatory for students, faculty, and staff who plan to be on the university’s campuses in Lawrence or Overland Park before Sept. 7.
The university conducted the testing to identify positive cases early and ensure people with the virus were isolating away from campus, Girod said.
Another reason for the early testing was to establish a baseline positivity rate to determine appropriate safety, infection prevention, education, and testing efforts moving forward, he said.
Moving forward, the university plans a more targeted testing effort and random sampling.
University of Kansas football coach Les Miles said Thursday his first virtual press conference of the preseason that there were 40 positive coronavirus tests among the 117 people that have undergone them since June 8.
That doesn’t mean 40 people had positive tests, said Dan Beckler, associate athletic director for public relations. Rather there were multiple positive tests from certain individuals.
As of Thursday afternoon, Miles said no players are in quarantine or isolation due to the virus.
“Everybody is up for practice and everybody is up for what would be a game if we were to play soon,” Miles added.
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