NIU reports three new cases of COVID-19 Friday

After reporting no new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, Northern Illinois University announced three new cases on Friday: two students and one employee.

That brings the weekly cases to 14 total this past week, the lowest weekly number since August.

That brings the total number of cases to date to 779, although 753 people have fully recovered.

There remain 26 active cases on campus, all but six in students. The school also announced five new recoveries Friday.

The school’s quarantine and isolation remained the same at 2.5%.

During the week beginning Feb. 15, a total of 2,087 COVID-19 tests were administered for surveillance testing. There were 8 positive tests and a positivity rate of 0.4%.

As in the fall, students were required to take a COVID-19 test before being allowed to move in to university housing this spring. NIU will post the results in daily totals as they come in.

According to the school, a 14-day quarantine begins after individuals first show signs of COVID-19 symptoms, not when they receive a positive test for the virus. A case is considered recovered after the 14-day period is over.

Although specific surveillance testing results are reported weekly on Mondays, positive tests found through the program are included in daily statistics.

Daily COVID-19 case data from the DeKalb County Health Department may not reflect daily data from NIU because some students or employees may live outside the county and still test positive for the virus.

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