Notre Dame’s Coronavirus Outbreak Triples With 80 New Cases In One Day

TOPLINE

Already facing a concerning coronavirus outbreak on campus, the University of Notre Dame reported 80 new cases on Tuesday, tripling the school’s total infection number which is now close to what caused UNC-Chapel Hill to suspend in-person classes one week into the semester. 

KEY FACTS

Notre Dame began reporting infections three days after students returned to campus on August 3.

Before the university’s coronavirus tracker was updated on Tuesday, Notre Dame was facing a total of 58 Covid-19 cases—54 of which were added over the span of one week—and an over 8.3% positivity rate (the World Health Organization suggests a 5% rate for state reopening). 

With 80 out of the 418 tested on Monday testing positive for the virus, Notre Dame is now grappling with an almost 20% positivity rate and 147 total confirmed cases. 

Notre Dame did not immediately respond to questions from Forbes about whether this will impact plans for in-person classes going forward, although spokesperson Paul Browne told the South Bend Tribune over the weekend that the university had “confidence” it could get the virus back under control and make it through the semester. 

A large portion of the previously reported cases were linked to at least two off-campus parties, which local health officials pointed to as a positive sign that “community spread,” occasions in which the source of infections can’t be identified, wasn’t at play.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill had 177 cases when it decided to suspend in-person learning for the semester.

Key Background 

Notre Dame is not the only university to struggle with outbreaks after opening its gates again for in-person tuition. UNC Chancellor Kevin M. Guszkiewicz and Provost Robert A. Blouin announced the move to remote learning in a Monday letter after the university reported four coronavirus clusters at the Chapel Hill campus—three in student dormitories and one that affected an off-campus fraternity house. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says colleges should consider closing buildings and ending in-person classes after Covid-19 outbreaks. 

Crucial Quote 

“We are confident we will be able to trace the cause if we see numbers going up,” Browne previously said. “I don’t think it’s unrealistic to go into this with confidence we can do a semester successfully without it getting out of control.”

Further Reading

“Notre Dame Reports 54 New Coronavirus Cases In One Week, But Will Stay Open—For Now” (Forbes)

“Outbreaks Hit Fraternities, Sororities And Dorms As College Parties Resume” (Forbes)

“‘We’ve got to do better than this’: College students raise alarm by packing bars, avoiding masks” (The Washington Post) 

Full coverage and live updates on the Coronavirus

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