The University of Chicago
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New cases of Covid-19 rose rapidly at the University of Chicago this year after students, most of whom were not fully vaccinated, returned from spring break, according to a study released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Diseases.
Despite various prevention strategies at the university, such as weekly tests for students living on campus, between March 15 and May 3, 158 cases of Covid were diagnosed among undergraduate students, according to the new study, published in the agency’s weekly morbidity and mortality report.
Among 140 infected students who were interviewed, 89 said they recently traveled outside of Chicago during the spring break and 57 attended an unmasked indoor gathering, such as a dinner or party, the agency said.
Destinations included seven different countries and 23 U.S. states, most commonly California, Colorado, Florida and New York, the CDC said. According to the agency, the most frequent reason for the trip was the holidays.
In response to the backlog of cases, the university implemented a home stay order for all students living on campus, banned meetings and moved on to distance learning, the agency said. The stay-at-home order was withdrawn two weeks later after additional tests found few new cases.
It should be noted that the outbreak occurred immediately before eligibility for vaccination in Chicago was expanded. The city’s college-aged people were ineligible for the shots before April 19, when local health officials moved on to “phase 2” of their vaccination program, according to the CDC. Among the infected students, only three were completely vaccinated, according to the agency.
The CDC said the campus outbreak illustrates the importance of masking indoors and avoiding travel, especially for those who are not vaccinated, amid the spread of the fast-moving delta variant.
“These results demonstrate the potential for COVID-19 outbreaks on university campuses after widespread student travel during breaks, at the start of new school periods, and when students participate in covered social gatherings,” the agency wrote in the study.
The new report arrives a day before the start of Labor Day weekend, when many families in the United States are traveling and more schools are preparing to begin their fall semester.
CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky advised unvaccinated people this week not to travel during the holidays, as the nation continues to struggle with a wave of Covid cases and hospitalizations fueled by the highly contagious delta variant.
Although the daily average of hospital admissions has fallen in recent days, U.S. officials and health experts say Labor Day could be a threat to the nation’s progress in the future.
“Labor Day weekend poses a significant risk as people return to work and school,” said Lawrence Gostin, director of the World Health Organization’s Collaborating Center on National and Global Law. of Health.
Among the students interviewed for the CDC study, 93 were not vaccinated and 43 were partially vaccinated, meaning they had only received one dose of the Pfizer or Moderna two-shot vaccine.
The agency noted that the study had limitations, including some students who refused to be interviewed and others who provided potentially false information, such as denying trips when other students indicated yes.