How the University of Arizona stopped a COVID-19 outbreak before it even started

[Jacob Siegal]

• School reopenings during the coronavirus pandemic have generally been disastrous, but the University of Arizona is an example of how it can be done somewhat safely.
• The University of Arizona is testing the wastewater from every dorm, and when signs of the virus were discovered, every student in that dorm was tested.
• Two asymptomatic students tested positive and were isolated before they could spread the virus.

Reopening schools in the US as tens of thousands of Americans are infected with the novel coronavirus on a daily basis has been about as disastrous as we expected. A new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association reveals 74,160 children tested positive for COVID-19 from August 6th to August 20th. Meanwhile, universities around the country are being forced to shut down or rethink their plans as students return to campus, gather in dorms, classrooms, restaurants, and bars, and infection rates spikes.

Amidst all of the chaos, one college might be able to serve as an example to all the rest with a system that can detect outbreaks before they happen. Arizona Public Media reports that the school's wastewater testing system at Likins Hall alerted the school that someone in the dorm might be infected.

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How the University of Arizona stopped a COVID-19 outbreak before it even started originally appeared on BGR.com on Thu, 27 Aug 2020 at 18:34:06 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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