Three locked-down UW schools prepare to reopen.
Three University of Wisconsin System campuses that locked down in recent weeks due to COVID-19 spread are seeing improvements and are in the process of reopening, UW System Interim President Tommy Thompson said in a call with media Friday.
The planned reopening is a sign that things are moving in the right direction, he said.
UW-Madison announced Wednesday that it would gradually resume inperson classes after a two-week hiatus, though there would be fewer of them.
UW-La Crosse, which moved classes online shortly after UW-Madison, also announced it would begin to reopen next week. And UW-River Falls, which is completing the first of a two-week
“shelter-in-place” order, is on track to reopen as well, Thompson said.
All UW campuses outside Madison are using rapid antigen testing for most students, though campuses vary in terms of who is being tested beyond dorm residents and students with symptoms.
Antigen testing — which detects molecules found on the surface of the virus that causes COVID-19 — is faster and cheaper than the standard diagnostic test, but less accurate.
Antigen tests are more broadly administered to provide a better sense of how COVID-19 is spreading on campus, while the diagnostic tests are generally reserved for students who have symptoms, or to confirm the results of students who test positive through the rapid test.
On Thursday, 2.9% of antigen tests administered by UW schools — excluding UW-Madison — came back positive. It is the first time the rate has been under 3% in two weeks, according to UW System data that goes back to Sept. 11.
The percentage of total tests with positive results — a count that includes the rapid antigen test and the more sophisticated diagnostic test — was 5.9%, down from 14.5% on Sept 11.
“That is just an outstanding position for the University of Wisconsin,” Thompson said.
The picture varies greatly from campus to campus, with some universities seeing higher weekly averages than others. As of Thursday, the schools with the highest weekly positive test percentages were:
UW-La Crosse: 11% UW-Milwaukee: 10%
UW-Oshkosh: 12% UW-Platteville: 10% UW-Whitewater: 15% However, the rates are difficult to compare across campuses due to variability in who is being tested and how many tests are being conducted day-today. For example, UW-Whitewater conducted 51 tests Thursday, while UWMilwaukee conducted 252.
Thompson says the system is continuing to increase COVID-19 testing capabilities. He said about 60% of the total available tests have been distributed to campuses. The system plans to administer more than 350,000 tests this semester, on campuses excluding Madison’s.
Thompson acknowledged “we’re not going to get everybody,” but said he was confident in the system’s ability to track and respond to the virus’ spread.