NC State reports new COVID-19 clusters, including the 9th in a campus residence hall
N.C. State University reported two new COVID-19 clusters Friday in a campus-wide alert.
The clusters were found in the Sullivan residence hall and in an off-campus apartment complex, bringing the university’s total to 31 clusters since classes began this month.
The state defines a cluster as five or more cases in close proximity.
N.C. State started classes Aug. 10 as a mix of online and in-person course. Last week, after clusters and cases mounted on and off-campus, the school announced that the remainder of the fall semester would be remote-only for undergraduates.
This week, N.C. State took additional measures to slow the spread of the virus on campus and began closing dorms for most students.
The latest numbers from the state Health and Human Services Department report that 15% of the state’s total coronavirus caseload is among people ages 18 to 24. In Wake County, that number is higher, with college-age people representing the highest number of COVID-19 cases.
On its COVID-19 dashboard, the school reports 739 positive coronavirus cases since the pandemic began in March. The school reported 98 new cases Friday.
There have been nine COVID-19 clusters in on-campus dorms, another 13 in fraternity and sorority houses in N.C. State’s Greek Village and nine others in various off-campus apartments.
Monday and Tuesday classes are cancelled at N.C. State, as students prepare to leave campus. The days will be made up at the end of the fall semester, which ends before Thanksgiving this year.
This story was originally published August 28, 2020 at 5:12 PM.
