The figures on this page show the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases each week from Monday 5 October 2020. They also include data from our Pooled (Asymptomatic) Screening programme.
We have introduced a robust testing regime for our approximately 12,600 staff members and 23,000 students. For students resident in our Colleges (and from January 2021, the majority of those living in private accommodation), we offer a weekly asymptomatic screening programme. For staff and students with possible COVID-19 symptoms we have two dedicated University testing pods.
We anticipate a significant number of positive asymptomatic cases due to the proactive nature of our testing. The figures are not comparable with other institutions that are conducting symptomatic - but not asymptomatic - tests. Our approach allows us to identify cases early, support students to self-isolate and therefore minimise transmission by reducing the time between infection and identification.
Total number of positive cases identified through University testing programmes
| Week | Total no. of positive cases |
|---|---|
| 5-11 October | 34 |
| 12-18 October | 154 |
| 19-25 October | 156 |
| 26 October - 1 November | 78 |
| 2-8 November | 70 |
| 9-15 November | 234 |
| 16-22 November | 52 |
| 23-29 November | 6 |
| 30 November - 6 December | 9 |
| 7 December - 13 December | 12 |
| 14 Dec 2020 - 10 Jan 2021 | 49 |
| 11-17 January | 27 |
| 18-24 January | 6 |
| 25-31 January | 4 |
| 1-7 February | 3 |
| 8-14 February | 2 |
| 15-21 February | 3 |
| 22-28 February | 3 |
| 1-7 March | 1 |
| 8-14 March | 1 |
| 15-21 March | 0 |
| 22-28 March | 1 |
| 29 Mar-4 April | 0 |
| 5-11 April | 0 |
The data above represent the number of cases as identified through the University's testing programmes.
All cases have been followed-up and, where appropriate, are being supported to isolate.
| Easter vacation 2021 | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positive staff cases | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Lent Term 2021 | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positive staff cases | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Michaelmas 2020 | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positive staff cases | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 28 |
Detailed breakdown by type of testing
Positive cases identified via University pooled (asymptomatic) testing
| Week | No. students screened | No. of confirmed positive cases | Positivity rate (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5-11 October | 3,463 | 12 | 0.3 |
| 12-18 October | 3,675 | 34 | 0.9 |
| 19-25 October | 4,660 | 38 | 0.8 |
| 26 Oct - 1 Nov | 5,494 | 38 | 0.7 |
| 2-8 November | 4,583 | 23 | 0.5 |
| 9-15 November | 5,339 | 80 | 1.5 |
| 16-22 November | 4,138 | 27 | 0.7 |
| 23-29 November | 9,329 | 3 | 0.03 |
| 30 Nov - 6 Dec | 10,121* | 0 | 0 |
| 7 Dec - 10 Jan | 1,427** | 8 | 0.6 |
| 11-17 Jan 2021 | 1,816** | 16 | 0.9 |
| 18-24 Jan | 3,570 | 4 | 0.1 |
| 25-31 Jan | 3,945 | 2 | 0.05 |
| 1-7 Feb | 4,058 | 0 | 0 |
| 8-14 Feb | 4,156 | 1 | 0.02 |
| 15-21 Feb | 3,991 | 0 | 0 |
| 22-28 Feb | 4,285 | 1 | 0.02 |
| 1-7 March | 4,376 | 0 | 0 |
| 8-14 March | 4,330 | 0 | 0 |
| 15-21 March | 4,181 | 0 | 0 |
| 22-28 March | 4,022 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 Mar-4 Apr | 3,494 | 0 | 0 |
| 5-11 Apr | 3,267 | 0 | 0 |
For the weeks up to and including 16-22 November, the programme operated at reduced scale and not all eligible students were screened each week. This was to enable us to establish the pooled screening programme and monitor the number of infections.
* From 30 Nov 2020 and now ongoing, the pooled testing programme has been expanded to include students living in private accommodation (i.e. that not owned or maintained by their College).
** Between 7 Dec 2020 and 17 Jan 2021, students were screened individually.
Cases are counted after confirmatory individual tests. These confirmatory tests are not included in the ‘No. of students screened’ figure to avoid double counting.
Weekly report from pooled testing programme
Positive cases identified via University symptomatic testing
| Week | No. tests (students and staff) | No. of confirmed positive cases | Positivity rate (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5-11 October | 230 | 22 | 10 |
| 12-18 October | 411 | 120 | 29 |
| 19-25 October | 409 | 105 | 26 |
| 26 Oct - 1 Nov | 290 | 40 | 14 |
| 2-8 November | 242 | 47 | 19 |
| 9-15 November | 398 | 154 | 39 |
| 16-22 November | 188 | 25 | 13 |
| 23-29 November | 92 | 3 | 3 |
| 30 Nov - 6 Dec | 71 | 9 | 13 |
| 7-13 Dec | 69 | 3 | 4.3 |
| 14 Dec 2020-10 Jan 2021 | 508 | 49 | 10 |
| 11-17 Jan | 101 | 11 | 11 |
| 18-24 Jan | 93 | 2 | 2.2 |
| 25-31 Jan | 54 | 2 | 3.7 |
| 1-7 Feb | 137 | 3 | 2.2 |
| 8-14 Feb | 88 | 1 | 1.1 |
| 15-21 Feb | 83 | 3 | 3.6 |
| 22-28 Feb | 68 | 2 | 2.9 |
| 1-7 March | 49 | 1 | 2.0 |
| 8-14 March | 50 | 1 | 2 |
| 15-21 March | 53 | 0 | 0 |
| 22-28 March | 97 | 1 | 1.0 |
| 29 Mar-4 Apr | 46 | 0 | 0 |
| 5-11 Apr | 44 | 0 | 0 |
Positive cases identified via other routes (e.g. NHS testing)
| Week | No. of confirmed positive cases |
|---|---|
| 5-11 October | 0 |
| 12-18 October | 0 |
| 19-25 October | 1 |
| 26 Oct - 1 Nov | 0 |
| 2-8 November | 0 |
Additional focused individual testing in response to a cluster of cases
| Week | No. tests | No. of confirmed positive cases |
|---|---|---|
| 19-25 October | 117 | 12 |