The university reported a decline to 152 active COVID-19 cases on campus according to the university's online COVID-19 dashboard, continuing a downward trend in cases.
4,445 cases have been reported to the university since Jan. 1, according to data USC released on Tuesday. Of the 152 total active COVID-19 cases on campus, 120 are students and 32 are faculty and staff.
This is 258 less active cases than last week. Cases continue to decrease after USC saw a spike of COVID-19 cases in mid-January.
At a 4.7% positivity rate for students, about one in 25 students who got tested from Jan. 30 to Feb. 5 tested positive.
This is approximately three times less than South Carolina's positivity rate of 17.6%. There are currently 1,655 cases in South Carolina, according to data the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control reported on Tuesday.
Interim university President Harris Pastides said in a message to the Carolina community during the first week of class that he expects a surge of cases throughout January and February.
"I'm hopeful that, in a couple of months, the worst of Omicron will be behind us," Pastides said in the email. "In the meantime, the university will continue to encourage physical distancing and safe gathering practices, require masks in classrooms and other indoor spaces, mandate universal testing at intervals dictated by the data, require isolation of those with positive test results for the period recommended by national and state public health authorities, and encourage vaccination and boosters for all."
Approximately 70% of students, 70% of staff and 80% of faculty are vaccinated, the university reported.
USC students, faculty and staff can get tested and vaccinated on campus. Monthly student testing is required.
USC's COVID-19 dashboard calculates an alert level based on 11 factors including campus testing, isolation capacity and campus case burden. The current alert level is low alert.
USC updates its COVID-19 dashboard every Tuesday.