Active COVID-19 cases drop at UofSC; Caslen expects numbers to rise again

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) – The number of active cases has dropped on the campus of the University of South Carolina.

Tuesday the university released updated numbers showing active total cases at 654. 640 of the cases are students.

Since August 1, there have been 1,904 cases reported.

While the week-to-week numbers dropped, saliva testing on campus had stopped last week after a critical staff member fell ill and the lab was temporarily closed.

President Bob Caslen expects cases to rise again as the on-campus testing has resumed.

The university released a statement from Caslen Tuesday night:

“The decline in active cases represents more students recovering, which is good news. Our foremost consideration  remains our student’s health and well-being. We do anticipate additional cases in coming days as we ramp up testing capacity and see the potential effects of the long Labor Day weekend.  This is in line with national trends. We remain committed to ensuring robust testing is available to our students, faculty and staff and will continue to closely monitor the impact of COVID-19 on our campus and community.  Our SAFE testing has resumed after last week’s staff illness and we anticipate ramping up testing levels throughout the week. ”