COVID-19 prevalence and presenting symptoms in a college student population: A retrospective chart review.

Purpose: To describe the clinical presentation and prevalence of COVID-19 in a collegiate population at the time of initial recognition and testing.

Methods

A retrospective chart review was performed of all students tested for COVID-19 at the University of Florida Student Health Care Center between March 9th and April 17th, 2020, comprising the first 6 weeks after spring break.

Results

Twenty-five of 296 students (8.4%) tested positive for COVID-19. No significant differences were seen between positive and negative students regarding travel history or known exposures. Students who tested positive more commonly experienced fatigue, congestion, nausea, chest pain, anosmia, ageusia, anorexia, abdominal discomfort, and new problems sleeping over the course of illness.

Conclusion

Initial symptoms unreliably clinically distinguish COVID-19 from other viral illnesses amongst college students. Providers should continue to have a low threshold for testing, especially as universities have seen large surges in cases related to students returning to campus.