Student tests positive for coronavirus


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(Ling Luo | Daily Trojan)

A Marshall School of Business student has tested positive for the coronavirus, Student Health stated Thursday in an email to the Marshall community and McCarthy Honors Hall residents and staff.

According to the email, the student has recovered. The individual currently resides off campus but was last on campus March 13. 

Those who may have had contact with the infected student are encouraged to practice self-isolation if they develop symptoms characteristic of COVID-19, the email read. Students with respiratory symptoms should contact Student Health to set up a TeleHealth screening  appointment, while faculty and staff can notify their own medical providers. 

Students remaining on or around campus who need assistance relocating to begin self-isolation are asked to contact the University through the coronavirus hotline or email address. USC Housing requested Friday that all students living in campus housing who are able to return to their permanent residences do so, although nearly 1,400 residents received permission to remain on campus due to extenuating circumstances. USC Housing is currently in the process of moving students to different rooms and buildings to comply with Los Angeles County social distancing guidelines, which recommend that each student has an individual room and bathroom.

The USC community has received communication about two coronavirus cases in connection with the University: a student returning from a study abroad trip in Europe and a Keck Medicine of USC caregiver, both last week. Neither had been on campus since testing positive. Since then, cases involving students enrolled in study abroad programs in Europe and returning from personal travel to Cabo San Lucas have been confirmed by the University.

Student Health altered its coronavirus response protocol to no longer issue Universitywide notifications each time a student or faculty member tests positive for the virus. When a USC community member alerts the University of a positive test, Student Health and public health officials conduct contact tracing to determine who may have had exposure to the virus through the infected individual and notifies those groups.