EAST LANSING—On Friday, the Michigan State Athletic Department announced the results of the 889 COVID-19 PCR tests that were conducted from Jan. 14-20. In total, 677 tests were given to student-athletes, and 15 came back positive. Staff members had only two positive results out of the 212 tests that were administered.

The 15 positive tests are the most since the week of Sept. 15-21, in which 30 student-athletes and two staff members tested positive. 

Last week, eight student-athletes and one staff member tested positive for COVID-19.

Michigan State Athletics has conducted over 4,000 COVID-19 clinical PCR tests since June. There have been over 3,800 tests performed on MSU student-athletes with 203 positive results. Staff members have only had 17 positive results out of the 874 PCR tests that have been issued.

The weekly PCR testing results cover all sports at Michigan State. Student-athletes and staff for MSU men’s and women’s basketball, hockey, volleyball and wrestling are currently participating in the Big Ten’s daily antigen testing. The Big Ten has designated testing schedules for men’s and women’s swimming and diving, men’s and women’s indoor track, men’s and women’s tennis, women’s golf and gymnastics. Any individual who gets a positive result on an antigen test is required to take a PCR test.

The individuals that tested positive will remain in isolation with daily check-ins with the athletic training staff. In order for the student-athletes that tested positive to return, they must undergo further testing and a physician follow-up to return to workouts.