After the cruise ships and nursing homes, universities have become the next COVID-19 tinderboxes?

After the cruise ships and nursing homes, universities have become the next COVID-19 tinderboxes?

The fall semester has not started yet, but the student athletes for training season can already be found on college campuses in the United States and may COVID-19 Since the beginning of July there are at least two outbreaks were among student athletes, coaches and staff 37 at the University of North Carolina infected (UNC) at Chapel Hill and 22 in Boise State. The cluster of infection was monitored students university town famous bars. A common misconception is that young people with COVID-19 do not die and then university reopened represent a low risk. Unfortunately this is not the case. COVID-19 deaths in young people are rare, but do occur. crying universities in the United States for the loss of students before the school year, including Joshua Bush, to students aged 30 nursing at the University of South Carolina, Trevor Syphus Lee, a 27-year-old senior at Utah Valley University, and Juan Garcia, a 21-year-old Penn State student. One could imagine that the rapid spread, overwhelming a serious illness and little known that kills students would already lead universities across America, down to their plans on hold reopening. Unfortunately, this is not the case. The Chronicle of Higher Education, a fall of the database compiled plans of more than 1,000 colleges and universities and found to reopen that 60% “is open for business and to take again all their students.” Considering how much is still unknown about the virus and especially the long-term effects on those infected, this could be the uncontrolled America larger scale experiment in public health ever undertaken, with students, staff, faculty, parents and communities as unwitting test subjects. No other nation has schools and universities with the rampant Community level we see today in the US broadcast reopened, or with so little coordination or guidelines on protective measures. to open again the race, driven by very reasonable belief that universities and schools have their students face-to-face lessons and a live-create “the campus experience.” There is more to college than the transmission of knowledge and online learning has significant drawbacks. But during a pandemic, both in the classroom and probably residential campus settings in universities risks are not equipped to handle. proposed safety measures revolve up to sanitation, masks and physical removal. This could be enough for a trip to the supermarket; for different reasons, they are likely to fail in a university in the context of everyday life. First, some universities are “encouraging” (not send) to mask wearing this fall, drastically reduced efficacy. If a strict rule is in place in the application class it is likely to be up to individual teachers, and the proper mask usage (which holds all covered noses, for example, a measure) can not be guaranteed. Secondly, the physical removal is a moving target. Some states have argued that 4 feet away is enough grip in the class, assuming that every single straight cough (or breathe). UNC Chapel Hill also suggested that three feet make a protest that had reversed course. Third, suggests that if students and teachers spend much time together in the classroom, the respirator use even universal and six feet spacing may not be enough. There is a growing consensus that it is only where there is uncontrolled epidemic COVID-19, in a building which speaks as in a bar, restaurant, office or classroom endanger an infection. Now we know that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can linger in the air as tiny droplets (aerosols) and infect humans who breathe. The research that the air flow has shown can send aerosolized SARS-CoV-2 much more than 6 meters. In the absence of a constant and efficient ventilation, viral particles may remain for at least 3 hours in the air. In most universities, open all the windows and doors would be impractical or impossible, and the air conditioning can blow recycled air over passengers for hours. Masks help, but they are not perfect protection. Not surprisingly, many professors, especially those who are older or have pre-existing medical conditions, say waste teach in the classroom. But to be able to refuse, you will need a certain amount of energy. There is a real danger that the so-called related faculties, are those who are “insecure, non-supported positions with little job security and little protection for academic freedom” no choice, who will personally teach feeling pressured or replaced, outside of class, colleges and universities “Settings gather”, who are at high risk of HIV transmission have been known to create, such as nursing homes or cruise ships. The campus includes experience with students in dormitories, canteens, training, parties, bars and clubs carry gatherings that always we hope the danger “superspreading events”. Some colleges that a previous period of quarantine period, a code of honor that the students report symptoms of car or make masks and removing e-campus contact lookup promotes help avoid disaster. But a new study led by Dr. Sherry Pagoto at the University of Connecticut, a survey of 2,698 students who will return in a few weeks on campus, and puts the student in-depth interviews with a further 35 that many obstacles lie ahead, in particular if students do not make sense involved in the reopening of the planning process. (Dr. Pagoto has shared the first results of interviews in depth on social media. 35) Each student said the quarantine is unrealistic and fail. They also said that if minor COVID-19 develop symptoms, they can not relate to. If they are infected, they would be reluctant to tell the university about their contacts, especially in bars. They were pessimistic about the security of social events, which suggests the use of the mask would not be universal. The fact that 117 students at the University of Washington tested positive fraternity by the end of June suggests that these fears are justified. The overall message seems to be that only tell students not to do things, and that is to leave no reliable policy. While the risk of death by 19-COVID lower among the young than the old, we have seen that young adults may die because of the disease and the risk from five to nine times higher among them black, Latinx or natives. While recovering from the initial acute disease, an infection with the novel coronavirus can have long-term debilitating consequences, including lung diseases, heart problems, brain damage and mental problems. And we still do not know what other persistent effects could have the disease. Infections among students also take the lives of others around them at risk. The highest risk of death, no one operating the service and maintenance staff on campus cleaning, bus drivers, food service employees, custodians, facility managers and support staff have little power to less institutional. A recent outbreak of COVID under-19 leaders at UNC Chapel Hill, charged with cleaning the rooms of student athletes, is just the tip of the iceberg. About 40% of the service and maintenance personnel at US universities are dying at an increased risk of black people, if they are infected with SARS-CoV-2. For the city, where a campus-based, recovery will be like giving a cruise ship in the middle of the fall of the city and free rein passengers. Campus outbreaks can not be tight and that will inevitably cause a spike in the spread of the community, the city, the state and about influence. University of fully re-opened in the middle of uncontrolled epidemic are responsible for damage caused to their larger communities. What would it take to open again so sure? We can look at as an example of Taiwan. Instead of leaving together for individual universities to play their own plans, Taiwan’s Ministry of Education has produced a national strategy for the university campus. The strategy involved an initial quarantine, frequent of all students testing, sanitation, the masks, the distances, reducing density in the dormitories clean students twice daily with bleach, and to eat only one per table student restaurant. It also contained a mandatory quarantine for anyone exposed, and thresholds for bacterial and fungal numbers in which disrupt an entire university. With this wide range of measures to protect Taiwanese university campuses were able to successfully reopen and only seven confirmed cases of universities based on June 18 and only four new cases nationwide seen. Apart from the more stringent security protocols of all we have in the US, universities in Taiwan had not seen another advantage America has proposed: an epidemic well controlled virtually no community transmission. To date, Taiwan has only 451 cases and seven deaths. Not a single state in the US has had something similar level of success. In this context, it is hard to see how any secure US university campus in complete enough for the reopening plan could succeed. We understand the financial pressure that colleges and universities are facing. Some of them could face bankruptcy without the revenues that generate recovery. We also recognize the enormous benefits of university life and the experience of some students and teaching parents and the person desires this. But at what price? These institutions must be honest about the trade-off. It should publish its own estimates of the number of infections, hospitalizations and deaths caused reopening. This will allow students, teachers, parents, and to understand the general public better have endured so much misery, and by whom, as the price of re-opening benefits. These institutions should also make it clear to what extent the disease trigger another arrest. The Trump administration is applying increasing pressure on the education system to re-open in the hope that deaf Americans to COVID 19-grow dead. Schools and universities should not be complicit in promoting hearing loss, even if their financial viability would endanger the person suspend classes. You should put the health and safety of their students, teachers, staff and service and maintenance community before. Who else is there to serve them? Clarification, July 20: The original version of this article is not the extent of Dr. Pagoto results on-line damage was widespread copyright
Image from Bing Guan-Bloomberg / Getty Images.