Jamestown Community College, which expanded its pool surveillance testing program last month, is working with health officials to identify a positive test result at the Cattaraugus County Campus in Olean.

The positive sample was found within the regularly scheduled pool testing of 173 students, faculty, and staff done on October 27 and 28 at JCC’s sites in Jamestown, Olean and Dunkirk.

SUNY Upstate Medical University notified JCC on October 31 about the preliminary positive pool results at the Cattaraugus County Campus.

“All individuals who are in the pool have been notified of the next steps, and further analysis of these individual samples will specifically isolate the positive individual and reaffirm the accuracy of the initial pool testing results,” said JCC president Daniel DeMarte.

Residence hall and commuter students, as well as JCC faculty and staff, administer the tests themselves during a regular testing schedule. Saliva samples, obtained through oral swabs, are combined into one, which is tested for the COVID-19 virus by Upstate Medical.

A negative test means that all people in the group are presumed at the time to be coronavirus-free. As a result of a positive test, saliva samples within the pool are tested again individually to pinpoint the exact positive case.

“Once this information is known, JCC’s health center staff will work with our county health department to assist the JCC college member with resources and support during their quarantine,” DeMarte added.

JCC’s low positivity rate, emphasized DeMarte, is due to the rigorous measures the college has taken to educate the community on the importance of adhering to and promoting safety measures to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.

“Like all of our SUNY counterparts, JCC has enforced health and safety protocols throughout the semester to keep our community members and their families safe,” said DeMarte. “I’m proud of what we have accomplished.”

SUNY campuses have administered over 321,000 tests since the fall semester began, with a positivity rate of 0.47 percent, according to the SUNY COVID Tracker. JCC has conducted 538 tests since October.