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New UGA Covid numbers released today (only being released once a week). 1. Voluntary surveillance testing of asymptomatic people: the positivity rate went up from 5% a week ago to 8% this past week, despite fewer tests conducted. https://www.uhs.uga.edu/healthtopics/covid19?fbclid=IwAR0DY-qjzKUxO_8ef8kPnYCzuAFv57w6rvZSsMrWo2T3vrnZtJrXgx-6MBo
@joshuasweitz
@joshuasweitz
2. The UGA university health center is testing symptomatic students. A colleague was told on the phone that they tested 800 students this past week, and this data reports 400 positive student tests. So, 50% of sick students being tested at the UHC are positive for Covid.
3. 1417 new UGA cases reported *this week*.
https://www.uhs.uga.edu/healthtopics/covid19?fbclid=IwAR0DY-qjzKUxO_8ef8kPnYCzuAFv57w6rvZSsMrWo2T3vrnZtJrXgx-6MBo
https://www.uhs.uga.edu/healthtopics/covid19?fbclid=IwAR0DY-qjzKUxO_8ef8kPnYCzuAFv57w6rvZSsMrWo2T3vrnZtJrXgx-6MBo
https://www.uhs.uga.edu/healthtopics/covid19?fbclid=IwAR0DY-qjzKUxO_8ef8kPnYCzuAFv57w6rvZSsMrWo2T3vrnZtJrXgx-6MBo
https://www.uhs.uga.edu/healthtopics/covid19?fbclid=IwAR0DY-qjzKUxO_8ef8kPnYCzuAFv57w6rvZSsMrWo2T3vrnZtJrXgx-6MBo
Some screenshots in case the site is slow loading for you.
Here’s the UGA news release, which acknowledges the high student results but focuses optimistically on the “very low“ faculty rates that’s concluding that classrooms are safe. https://news.uga.edu/student-cases-increase-faculty-staff-remain-low/
However, this glass-half-full analysis ignores several things (1) students are *sick* (my email inbox testifies), (2) Athens community urgent care clinics are slammed (Athens residents can testify), (3) @ClarkeCoSchools Athens public schools are virtual until numbers drop...!
The Athens public schools @ClarkeCoSchools point deserves unpacking. ALL of the public schools in Athens are Title 1, majority of students are non-white and under-resourced, and they NEED in-person instruction. School board RIGHTLY is making data-driven decision on when to reopen
So the longer that UGA-related numbers climb astronomically, the more our community (which has a huge racial wealth gap and large proportion of local residents living below poverty level) is negatively impacted, both for health and education of kids. UGA is not an island.
Oh also, fun memory lane, @unc went fully online after 130 students tested positive, with a 13% testing positivity rate. We had 1384 students report a positive test *just this week* and our positivity rate at our University Health Center is 50% this week. https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/17/us/coronavirus-college-university/index.html
Here are the metrics (data driven decision making!) being used by @ClarkeCoSchools on when to reopen. UGA's skyrocketing cases are harming our public schools from being able to serve the needs of Athens kids. https://www.clarke.k12.ga.us/domain/2572
UW Madison @UWBadgers @UWMadison has quarantined two dorms and stopped in person instruction for two weeks due to a TWENTY percent positivity rate among students. https://twitter.com/jmbrkphd/status/1303877843638718471
