Four additional cases of COVID-19 were found among Franklin Pierce University students during the university’s random testing Friday.
During the initial round of testing done by the college as students arrived on campus, six asymptomatic students tested positive for the virus. While these additional four positive tests brings the amount of cases up to 10, only four are currently considered active, according to university Communication’s Director Ken Phillips.
Three of the new cases were detected Friday, during the university’s first round of random testing, where a total of 480 students and faculty were tested. A fourth student arrived on campus from out of the country and tested positive while undergoing mandatory quarantine procedures.
Two of those students have returned home to quarantine, while a third is quarantining on campus. Phillips did not know the status of the fourth student who tested positive by press time on Wednesday.
In addition to those who tested positive, the university expects a total of 33 students, identified through contact tracing as having been exposed to the active cases, to be in quarantine by this weekend. They will be quarantined until cleared by health officials and testing negative for COVID-19.
The original six students who tested positive while arriving on campus are in the process of being cleared to return to normal activities this week, according to Phillips.
The university has announced it will be providing the number of active cases on campus as the data becomes available. Residents can monitor the number of active cases by visiting the university’s website at franklinpierce.edu/about/fallreturn/health_reporting.htm.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.