USF system President Steve Currall made the announcement of the first COVID-19 case via email to students. Courtesy of U.S. Department of State
By Jonah Hinebaugh
The University of South Florida announced Wednesday that a staff member has tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus.
The person — who is a staff member of the USF Counseling Center on the Tampa campus — is reported to have had direct contact with at least 13 students and several employees, according to the latest advisory from USF system President Steve Currall.
The person wasn’t named in the email but was reportedly on campus March 9 and 12.
The email said the person is now self-isolating and the counseling center will continue to provide services to students remotely.
The case is still under investigation by the Florida Department of Health to determine if other USF employees came in direct contact with the person.
Students who visited the counseling center on those days can call USF Student Health Services with any questions at (813) 974-2331.
There are no known cases at the USF St. Petersburg or Sarasota-Manatee campuses.
According to Adam Freeman, director of media relations at USF Tampa, there are approximately 1,300 students staying in the residence halls on the Tampa campus.
At USF St. Petersburg, approximately 115 students are staying in the residence halls, according to Carrie O’Brion, director of marketing and communications for the campus.
“This is an approximate number that is subject to change at any time because students are on spring break and people are coming and going from each residence hall,” Freeman said in an email.
The news comes a day after the Florida Board of Governors called for all “traditional” graduation ceremonies in May to be postponed and extended remote classes through the rest of the semester.
It also comes after the announcement from Gov. Ron DeSantis that four University of Florida students tested positive for the disease.
As of 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Florida had 328 positive cases of the disease, with 299 of them being Florida residents, according to the state’s health department.
Since Tuesday, the number of cases in Hillsborough County has risen from seven to 14, and the number in Pinellas, from four to 12.
In Hillsborough, the ages of the confirmed cases range from 17 to 74. Pinellas ranges from ages 21 to 67.
There have only been 67 tests conducted in Hillsborough and 162 in Pinellas, according to a new feature added to the state’s health department website.
The two counties have a combined 93 cases awaiting results.
James Bennett III contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. Stay with crowsneststpete.com for updates.
This story was updated at 6:30 p.m. to reflect new case totals, testing amounts and age demographics of the confirmed cases.
