COVID
University News

COVID-19 Data Available on Updated Dashboard

The latest COVID-19 data for UMass Amherst is being shared with the campus community weekly and will be updated every Wednesday on the university’s COVID-19 dashboard. The dashboard includes positive test results and wastewater testing results.

Positive test results include polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test results, consistent with local state and federal reporting. Unlike most publicly accessible COVID-19 dashboards, the campus’s weekly updates will also include self-reported positive results from antigen (at-home) tests from members of our campus community. The wastewater testing results show the SARS-CoV2 (COVID-19) concentration as gene copy equivalents (GCE/L) for the campus, North Amherst and South Amherst. The data has been compiled by the university’s Institute for Applied Life Sciences (IALS) in partnership with the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, the Town of Amherst and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

Public health officials note that the generally mild symptoms of vaccinated and boosted individuals infected with COVID-19 indicate that the number of positive cases is not the most meaningful metric to evaluate the status of campus public health. Few restrictions remain in place in the U.S. regarding indoor and outdoor gatherings, and the general populace, including UMass students, faculty and staff, interacts with others in many locales. Given this change in daily activity, the university’s Center for Public Health Promotion recommends that individuals look to campus, state, county and town-level data on monitoring trends over time to inform personal decisions. As the university has done throughout the pandemic, UMass officials will continually monitor public health guidance and make adjustments as needed.

Testing for the Campus Community

Students, faculty, staff and members of their households who need COVID-19 testing because they have symptoms, were exposed to COVID-19 or had close contact with someone who has COVID-19 can either take an antigen (at-home) test or visit University Health Services (UHS) for a PCR test.

Testing will be billed to an individual’s insurance, and most insurance companies cover COVID-19 testing administered for health reasons at no additional cost to you. Students, faculty and staff should continue to report their positive test results to testing@umass.edu. The campus continues to make available free antigen at-home test kits and KN95 masks until our supply runs out. Two free kits or KN95 Masks per week can be obtained by visiting the vending machines located at the lower level of the Campus Center and at UHS.