UW Stays Ahead of Coronavirus, Reports No New Athlete Cases in a Week

Of 157 Husky athletes tested for novel coronavirus, just one is still considered an active case. None were reported over the past week.

While novel coronavirus numbers are spiking everywhere nationwide, the University of Washington has stayed out in front of the contagious disease with its athletes, reporting no new positive cases this week.

The school has put 157 athletes through testing over the past three weeks, found three positive cases and it has just one athlete who is still considered positive, a UW athletic department spokesman said on Wednesday.

That person, who has not been identified nor has his or her sport been revealed, is going through COVID-10 care and quarantine protocols. 

The UW medical and training staff continues to put the athletes through surveillance testing who are utilizing the facilities on a voluntary basis, and no one has been positive for the virus.

The school began bringing athletes back to its campus facilities in phases, beginning in mid-June. 

Each person must enter the area through one entrance, sign in and be monitored for the virus, which has infected more than 3 million people in the U.S., and caused more than 130,000 fatalities.

While the Ivy League announced on Wednesday that it won't conduct fall sports, the UW is holding out hope that it can play all or most of its upcoming 12-game football schedule and other athletic activities.

On Wednesday, Ohio State said it was suspending voluntary workouts for its athletes, including football players, after multiple positive tests were returned. The school, however, is not releasing any details of the active cases, such as how many or in which sport, citing privacy laws. 

Meantime, SI's Pat Forde reports in the accompanying video that college basketball teams are contemplating starting the season two weeks earlier over fears the holiday break could last longer than normal because of COVID-19.