UVA Football releases initial COVID testing results for the team

Virginia Football announced on twitter this afternoon the report from the team’s first round of COVID-19 testing for its players and the results were relatively positive:

Obviously the best hope for having an NCAA football season is frequent testing and strict adherence to the safety parameters for the team and staff (and surrounding community) - and the fewer positive results, the easier the subsequent quarantine will be. Considering the upswing in positive cases in the Charlottesville/Albemarle area recently, the low total and 1.8% positive case rate are both initially encouraging for the Hoos. Of course, this will still require months of precautionary behavior from the student athletes and athletic department, but certainly this is an encouraging start.

The full release from the team is below:

July 10, 2020

Sport: Athletics (@UVAFootball)

Contact: Jim Daves

Virginia Announces Initial Testing Results for Returning Football Student-Athletes

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia athletics department announced today (July 10) initial COVID-19 testing results for the football student-athletes who returned to Grounds starting on July 5.

A total of 110 student-athletes were tested and two came back with positive tests for COVID-19. UVA athletics sports medicine administered the tests that were processed by the UVA Health System clinical laboratory. All positive tests were reported to the Thomas Jefferson Health District of the Virginia Department of Health.

None of the student-athletes who tested positive have required hospitalization.

All testing and results took place before the returning student-athletes started voluntary workouts today. Earlier this week, in addition to COVID-19 testing, student-athletes underwent physical examinations and cardiac testing.

The individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 were notified according to local health guidelines as a means to trace contacts. Those individuals will self-isolate for at least 10 days, or until symptoms are gone plus three days fever free (whichever is longer) and be medically evaluated until they have been cleared to resume daily sports functions. They will also undergo cardiac screening once cleared to resume daily sports functions.

Known close contacts of those who test positive will also be asked to self-quarantine for at least 14 days and are unable to participate in daily sports functions during that time.

Virginia football student-athletes are scheduled to start required activities (up to eight hours per week of weight training, conditioning, film review) July 15.

Virginia will provide periodic updates on testing of student-athletes prior to the start of fall athletics seasons.