Education
On first day of classes, more than 150 Mizzou students have COVID-19, university says
More than 150 University of Missouri students are positive for COVID-19, the school announced Monday, which was the first day of classes.
The 159 students are in isolation and none have required hospitalization, the school said in a news release.
“The university is constantly assessing the situation in relation to the number of cases, but also in our ability and capacity to address the number of cases we have. We are in regular communication with local and state public health officials as we consider the safest, most effective way to deliver education this semester,” said Mun Y. Choi, University of Missouri System president and MU chancellor.
The university is not releasing the positive test rate or information about where students may have contracted the virus. MU spokesman Christian Basi cited privacy concerns and said information from Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services captures the bigger picture of what is happening.
A total of 1,995 people have tested positive in the county, according to the health department, and six have died. There are 385 active cases.
A mask mandate went into effect in Columbia on July 10. Health officials say they’ve seen signs that it’s been successful in containing the spread of the virus.
The week before, from July 3-9, the positive test rate for the coronavirus was 15.8% there. In the several days after the ordinance went into effect, from July 10-16, that dropped to 6.2%. And the most recent positivity rate was 9.2%, still significantly lower than before masks were required in Columbia.
Scott Clardy, assistant director of Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services, said that the county continues to see more and more young adults with COVID-19. And with MU starting back up, he’s concerned.
Nearly one-fourth of all COVID-19 cases in the county are from people ages 20 to 24. Overall, about 55% of the cases are in people under the age of 30.
“Given the fact we are bringing people in from all over the world, and we are already seeing an issue, it would be foolish of us to not expect some increases there,” Clardy said. “I hope I’m wrong. I would love to be wrong.”
Scott Henderson, medical director for the university’s health center, said positive cases were expected given the size of the school, but could be managed if health rules are followed.
“By following classroom guidelines that keep participants 6 feet apart and by requiring face coverings, the rate of transmission between students and instructors is expected to be very low,” he said.
The university said Monday that enrollment for the fall semester was 30,849, up 4% from last year. Fifty-one percent of the classes are face-to-face, 32.5% are online only and 16.5% are blended.
In initial results released last week by The University of Kansas, 89 people, all but two of whom are KU students, tested positive among 7,088 results for a positivity rate of 1.25%. KU is testing every student, faculty and staff member for COVID-19 as they return to campus and before the beginning of on-campus activities and classes.
At UMKC, three COVID-19 cases have been reported since campus move-in started Aug. 17. In August, a total of 10 cases have been reported at the school. All 10 persons who tested positive are isolating off campus, according to a university official.
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