Fairfield University reports 35 new COVID-19 cases
FAIRFIELD — Fairfield University officials reported a spike Friday of more than twodozen new coronavirus infections over the past week.
The school’s public dashboard shows 35 more students tested positive between Sept. 10 and Wednesday, the most recent data available.
University officials previously reported seven cases, all among students.
The school updates its COVID-19 database twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays.
“As today’s dashboard update demonstrates, we did see an increase in the incidence of positive diagnostic tests among students this week, as well as an increase in the number of these students’ direct contacts who are now under surveillance by the University,” said Jennifer Anderson, a spokeswoman for the university.
She noted the school’s overall infection rate is “still below state averages.”
“The majority of these cases are from known sources and not the result of an event,” Anderson said.
Of the new cases reported Friday, 17 were found through on-campus testing. The other 18 were reported to the school from off-campus testing sites. Two of the on-campus cases were found through surveillance testing.
Most colleges and universities required students to be tested either before they returned to campus or upon arrival. After those tests are completed, the schools have conducted weekly surveillance testing of a random sample of the school community.
Fairfield University has raised its status level to “yellow,” which could come with restrictions barring students from visiting one another’s rooms, dining will move to grab-and-go, and capacity restrictions.
Twenty-six students are currently in isolation for COVID-19 at Fairfield University, and 15 are under surveillance for direct contact with an infected person, the school’s database shows.
The new cases at Fairfield University come as officials at Sacred Heart University expanded their quarantine of of an entire residency hall this week after multiple students tested positive for the virus.
SHU officials said a student living at Merton Hall had a positive test last week that was mislabeled by the lab.
The student was placed in isolation after the error was discovered Tuesday.
As of Friday, nine people there have tested positive for the disease.
“We have begun to get the results of the testing from the two floors with positive cases and we have three new asymptomatic positive cases on those floors,” university officials said Friday in a letter to the community. “We expect to receive the remaining results over the weekend and will review them and decide about lifting the quarantine.”
On Thursday, the school reported 45 other cases among students living off-campus in Bridgeport’s North End.
Fairfield First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick said town officials are aware of the rise in cases and are in regular communication with both universities.
“While the universities are providing separate isolation and quarantine facilities, many students are electing to return home,” she said in her newsletter to residents Friday.
SHU students who decide to go home before they are tested by the school will need to submit a negative test before they can return the school said. If they’re coming from a state on Connecticut’s travel advisory list, they will also have to provide a negative test, university officials said Friday.
Several other colleges and universities around the state continue to report cases.
Quinnipiac University in Hamden reported its first case of the virus Friday. That student lives at home and is isolating with their family, the school said.
Eastern Connecticut State University in Willimantic reported three new cases among off-campus students Friday, up from six reported days before.
Central Connecticut State University in New Britain reported one new case among residential students Thursday.
Wesleyan University in Middletown reported three new cases this week. The school currently has two active cases among students and four cases among employees.
The University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford reported three new cases — two among students, one among employees – this week.
The University of Hartford reported five new cases Friday, up from eight days before, all among students.
The University of Bridgeport reports one case among commuter students as of Tuesday — the most recent data available.