In today’s no-surprise file, a draft study released yesterday indicates that reopening colleges has contributed to increased cases of coronavirus:
The study, done jointly by researchers at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, Indiana University, the University of Washington and Davidson College, tracked cellphone data and matched it to reopening schedules at 1,400 schools, along with county infection rates.
…Nearly 900 of those schools opened primarily with in-person classes, according to the draft study.
The research examines the period from July 15 to Sept. 13. It does not name specific institutions or locations, but researchers found a correlation between schools that attempted in-person instruction and greater disease transmission rates.
Just reopening a university added 1.7 new infections per day per 100,000 people in a county, and teaching classes in person was associated with a 2.4 daily case rise, the study found.
“No such increase is observed in counties with no colleges, closed colleges or those that opened primarily online,” the study says [Michael McAuliff, “Colleges’ Reopening Fueled 3,000 Covid Cases a Day, Researchers Say,” Kaiser Health News, 2020.09.23].
The researchers are careful not to wag their fingers at colleges for reopening or students for partying. Their research simply emphasizes that there is a cost to reconvening for college and that college and civic leaders need to consider that cost when considering their ongoing plans for serving their students and their communities.
Related Local Data: USD’s coronavirus curve is looking pretty good. After surging to 238 cases after two weeks of class, the current self-reported active case number at the Vermillion campus is back down to 20.
I suppose Governor Noem will soon declare that all college pubs must reopen… pronto. And throw a mask-free concert while they’re at it. You know she won’t be happy until our hospitals are overflowing with patients.
Let’s get drumpf involved in this discussion of colleges.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLMr2Ck9KVo
drumpf’s secret testimony about his drumpf U racket the world wasn’t supposed to see. Brought to you by David Corn and Mother Jones.
In that video he looks like a petulant child who doesn’t like being told No.
Oh wait. That’s what he is.
Wait, so USD has gotten through their COVID surge and figured out how to manage continued operations in less than a month? Go Yotes!
I would think that’s an argument that universities can make this work. And it makes sense; the concentration of college-educated folks there is pretty darn high ;-)