College Entry Testing Shows Less Than 1% Of Students Have COVID-19
A statewide program to test college students returning to campus has found a COVID positivity rate of just 0.83% of the 30,000 students tested over the past 10 days.
The program, called GuideSafe, is spearheaded by UAB and partners. It eventually will test about 200,000 students at 50 state colleges and universities.
Dr. Mike Saag, director of UAB’s Division of Infectious Diseases, warned that the numbers can vary 10% to 15% as student testing continues at the 13 test sites.
“Part of our mission is to watch the campuses over time to keep them safe,” Saag said. “We can target interventions based on what we learn from testing.”
Saag said campuses have to have in place ways to keep the virus under control with masking, physical distancing and not allowing the congregation of large groups.
“Those details really matter,” he added.
Preferable class size would be 10 students, with a maximum of 15, he said.
When this entry level college testing is done, the testing will move to under-served communities.
“We are still working through the details,” said GuideSafe Director Bob Phillips.
Positive virus results from the student testing are reported to the Alabama Department of Public Health, he said.
One condition linked to COVID-19 is of particular concern as colleges reopen. Saag said myocarditis is a rare complication of the coronavirus and can be detected in asymptomatic people only by MRIs. Myocarditis has caused sudden cardiac death among young athletes.
College and conference officials need to weigh the risks of myocarditis, he said.
GuideSafe, which has been implemented over the past six weeks, is funded by $30 million in federal Cares Act funds.
A call center has been established to field questions about the GuideSafe testing program. Parents and students can call 866-839-5308 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
Hungary’s oldest library is fighting to save 100,000 books from a beetle infestation
Restoration workers are removing about 100,000 handbound books from their shelves and carefully placing them in crates, the start of a disinfection process that aims to kill the tiny beetles.
A military exercise drawing together 19 nations and 35,000 forces begins in Australia
The largest-ever war fighting drills in Australia is underway and expected to attract China's attention. Talisman Sabre began in 2005 as a joint exercise between the U.S. and Australia.
Trump marks anniversary of assassination attempt at the FIFA Club World Cup final
The president joined the players on the field after the match to present PSG players with their runner-up medals and hand Chelsea their championship trophy.
Wildfire destroys a historic Grand Canyon lodge and other structures
A park official said the visitor center, the gas station, a waste water treatment plant, an administrative building and some employee housing were among the 50 to 80 structures lost.
Jannik Sinner wins Wimbledon, Italy’s first singles champion
Italy's Jannik Sinner defeated defending champion Carlos Alcaraz to win his first Wimbledon title. Sinner is the first Italian to win the tournament.
Senate committee details failures by Secret Service in preventing Trump shooting
The Senate Homeland Security Committee said the Secret Service's "lack of structured communication was likely the greatest contributor to the failures" at the Pennsylvania rally last summer.