UNLV says 2 COVID-19 cases reported by students since Monday

Two UNLV students on campus have tested positive for COVID-19 since fall classes began Monday, according to the university’s website.

One student notified UNLV that they had tested positive for the disease on Tuesday, the website said. The other student tested positive on Monday, but the school was not notified of the case until Wednesday, UNLV spokesman Tony Allen said.

Both students were last on campus on Tuesday. The students are currently self-isolating and “receiving care,” the website said.

Prior to the two recent reports, a student notified UNLV about testing positive on Aug. 19, but the student was last on campus on Aug. 20, four days before classes began. Numerous other employees and students have tested positive throughout the summer, when only a small number of in-person classes were in session.

The university’s website only posts information about confirmed cases where “members of the university community may have been exposed.” Employees and students can self-report to UNLV that they had tested positive on the school’s website.

Both cases self-reported

Allen said in an email Thursday that all of the cases posted to UNLV’s website have come from voluntary reporting.

As the first week of classes continued Thursday — mostly online, but with some in-person teaching — students were seen studying on campus and walking to class. But signs of the pandemic were visible in the face masks, social distancing notices and sparse student presence on the usually crowded campus..

Alyssa Ayala, an 18-year-old freshman wearing a light blue face mask, said her first two days have gone smoothly, and she was pleased to see that “everyone wore masks.”

But Ayala said she doesn’t believe the university can keep the coronavirus out throughout the semester.

“I’m not to surprised that a case popped up so early, because Vegas is a hot spot,” she said. “I think for sure there will definitely be more.”

On Wednesday, a statement from school President Keith Whitfield was posted to UNLV’s website about the first case. The person was asymptomatic and was on the Maryland Parkway campus on Tuesday, the statement said.

The Southern Nevada Health District is “engaging in contact tracing” to notify anyone who was in close contact with the person, the statement said.

The statement was sent out before details about the second case were confirmed, Allen said.

In the statement, Whitfield emphasized that students should follow safety guidelines to slow the spread of the virus, including practicing social distancing, wearing a face mask, washing hands, staying home when sick, and monitoring for symptoms. About 80 percent of classes are now being conducted through “remote delivery,” the statement said.

“Your health and well-being remain our top priority,” the statement said. “The actions each of us take can help to stop the spread of COVID-19 at UNLV and in our community.”

Maskless student sighting

Like Ayala, 19-year-old sophomore Cesar Martinez said Thursday that he felt like the school was responding well to the outbreak. Martinez lives at home, but when he’s been to campus everyone appears to be social distancing.

He urged students to adhere to safety precautions, especially face masks, adding that he has “already seen some students on campus not wearing a mask.”

The positive tests at UNLV come as a number of other universities and colleges around the U.S. have reported surges in COVID-19 cases as in-person teaching has resumed.

The University of Alabama’s main campus in Tuscaloosa, for example, recorded 531 COVID-19 cases as of Tuesday, six days after the start of classes.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.