Number of asymptomatic COVID cases rises significantly to 1.5 per cent last week

80 students tested positive through the Cambridge University’s asymptomatic testing programme in week six (9-15 November), amounting to 1.5 per cent of the tested student body. This is an increase of one per cent from last weeks’ figures, a development described by Senior-Pro-Vice-Chancellor Graham Virgo as “disappointing”.

The number of students screened also increased to 5,339 in week six from the previous week’s 4,583. Of these, the number of swabs deemed ‘void’ was 16.

The trend of a consecutive fall in the number of asymptomatic cases across the university which started in week two has been broken. The stats are also by far the highest seen since testing started, and the only time the percentage of asymptomatic cases have gone above one per cent, with the previous high seen in the second week of testing, at 0.9 per cent.

Professor Virgo, speaking to The Tab before the stats were officially released, stated that he had spoken to Public Health Officials who remained confident that actions being taken by colleges across the university were sufficient to stop the spread of the virus.

The number of students who agreed to take part in the programme has slightly decreased from 12,372 to 12, 350. This amounts to roughly four out of five eligible students. The number of false positive tests across all six weeks is one in 419 (0.2 per cent).

Altogether, it is currently estimated that one in 67 students living in college accommodation have COVID-19 without experiencing symptoms. 

Featured image: Kgohsend and screenshots from Stay Safe Cambridge Uni via their website

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