The University of Arizona has administered COVID-19 antigen tests to 4,274 individuals, according to data through Aug. 18. Nine of those tests are positive, putting the school’s positivity rate at 0.2 percent, said University President Robert Robbins at his last weekly briefing before the beginning of UA's fall semester on Monday.
Students who test positive are isolated in quarantine dorms, said Dr. Richard Carmona, who’s leading the university’s Campus Reentry Task Force.
“They can take their classes from there and after that period of quarantine they go back and resume their studies as they would have previously," he said.
On Wednesday, the university launched an app called COVID Watch that will allow users who test positive to anonymously share that information with their close contacts so they are aware of the possible exposure. It's available for download now in the App Store and Google Play. The app is voluntary, but university officials are hoping many will use it.
"We need participants to be effective," Robbins said.
The university is also developing a dashboard that will including information such as its COVID-19 testing numbers. The university is looking to release the dashboard soon.
