Tracking COVID-19 in Princeton

UPDATED Feb. 14, 2021
By Sophia Fang and Emmy Song

The Daily Princetonian has been tracking COVID-19 cases in the town of Princeton as well as in the University. Tracked cases for the town span from early April to present day, while University cases have been tracked since the beginning of the fall semester on Aug. 31, 2020.

See our full coverage of COVID-19 here.

Updates

  • Jan. 8 | Princeton will be a COVID-19 vaccine distribution point. The timeline remains unclear. On-campus clinics will vaccinate "undergraduates, graduate students, faculty, staff, retirees and affiliates" Read more »
  • Dec. 20 | Princeton ‘not optimistic’ about international travel this summer Revised spring travel guidelines released this week keep University-sponsored travel largely restricted Read more »
  • Dec. 11 | Princeton shortens quarantine duration, launches move-in website Read more »
  • Dec. 6 | Three-quarters of Princeton undergraduates submit intent to live on campus in spring Out of 4,700 enrolled undergraduates, 4,600 submitted the Housing declaration form and 3,400 indicated an intent to live on-campus in the spring. Read more »
  • Nov. 24 | Princeton to invite all undergraduates to campus this spring, with most instruction remaining online Read more »
  • Nov. 10 | Princeton to support hybrid teaching this spring, Dolan tells faculty Read more »
  • Oct. 26 | COVID cases forced Princeton High School online. Some teachers say the district failed them. Just a week after Princeton High School (PHS) reopened for the first time since March, one student and two teachers tested positive for COVID-19, prompting the district to cancel in-person classes at the high school until Nov. 9. Read more »
  • Oct. 22 | ‘A sobering experience’: Students who contracted COVID-19 look back “People, don’t be stupid,” one student said. “Think about your grandparents, or yourself, if you’re selfish and don’t care about your grandparents. Wear a mask. If you see something, say something.” Read more »
  • Oct. 18 | U. encourages community to install NJ Covid-19 app Princeton Mayor Liz Lempert and the Princeton Council encouraged local residents to download “NJ COVID-19 Alert,” a contact tracing app developed by New Jersey to ramp up COVID-19 mitigation efforts throughout the state. Deputy University Spokesperson Michael Hotchkiss endorsed the use of the app among the student body and the community at large. Read more »

The data below is compiled from reports by the Princeton Health Department and the University.

Total positive cases on campus by week

This chart shows the total number of positive cases on campus since the beginning of the fall 2020 term. It includes positive cases for undergraduate students; graduate students; and faculty, staff, and others.

Weekly University data

New positive cases compared to total cases at the University

Positive cases at the University include both asymptomatic and symptomatic testing results.

Note: The first day of a seven-day tracking period changed to Saturday from Monday beginning with the week of Sept. 5, 2020.

University positivity test rates

This chart displays Princeton University positivity test rates by week. The University has yet to see a positivity test rate greater than one percent. Positivity test rates are calculated by dividing the weekly total positive tests by the weekly total tests.

Active positive cases in the town of Princeton

The Princeton Health Department defines active positive cases to be “laboratory confirmed cases and probable cases that have not been cleared from isolation/quarantine requirements. These are individuals under active monitoring by the local Princeton health department to prevent further disease transmission.” After reaching a peak in May, cases in Princeton dropped as the summer progressed, and began to rise again in September.

Positive tests in the town of Princeton

Positive tests are the number of individuals who received positive COVID-19 laboratory test results since the beginning of the pandemic.