Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

COVID-19 Cases Spread on Campus Due to Housing Settings and Social Gatherings, CDC Reports

  • By Yvonne Marquez
  • 09/30/20

Two new reports by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conclude that COVID-19 is spreading on college campuses due to congregate housing, the increase of social gatherings, and disregard for mask wearing.  

The CDC reports between August and September — just when college campuses reopened —COVID-19 cases increased by 55% nationally among young people aged 18-22 years. The greatest increases occurred in the Northeast (144%) and the Midwest (123%).

"The observed increases in Covid-19 cases among persons aged 18-22 years could be driven by many factors, including changes in behavior or risk profiles resulting from multiple social, economic, and public policy changes during this period,” the researchers write the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. “Because approximately 45% of persons aged 18-22 years attend colleges and universities and 55% of those attending identified as White persons, it is likely that some of this increase is linked to resumption of in-person attendance at some colleges and universities.”

The report cites that about 71% of 18-22-year-olds live with a parent and nearly half of the age group attend colleges and universities. About 33% live with a parent while enrolled. To prevent cases on campus and within broader communities, the CDC says “it’s critically important” for students, faculty, and staff to “remain vigilant” and take steps to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

A second study, led by a team at the North Carolina Department of Health and the University of North Carolina, showed the university experienced a rapid increase of COVID-19 cases within 2 weeks of opening the campus. Student gatherings and close living settings, likely contributed to the rapid spread of COVID-19.

"The rapid increase in cases within two weeks of opening campus suggests that robust measures are needed to reduce transmission at institutes of higher education, including efforts to increase consistent use of masks, reduce the density of on-campus housing, increase testing for SARS-CoV-2, and discourage student gatherings," the researchers wrote.

About the Author

Yvonne Marquez is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Construction Begins on New University Research Vessel

    Boat-building company All American Marine recently announced that it has begun construction on a new catamaran research vessel for the University of Texas Marine Science Institute (UTMSI) in Port Aransas, Texas, according to a news release.

  • Ohio State University Opens 26-Story Hospital

    The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center recently opened in Columbus, Ohio, standing 26 stories and covering 1.9 million square feet, according to a university news release. The project marks ten years of effort and is the university’s largest single-facility construction project ever.

  • Kimball International Releases Curated Design Support Program

    Commercial furnishings company Kimball International recently announced the launch of a new end-to-end design support program, DesignSuite. According to a news release, its goal is to guide architecture & design professionals and dealer partners through the process from vision to specification.

  • Utah Valley University Opens New Engineering Building

    Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, recently held a grand-opening ceremony for the new Scott M. Smith Engineering Building, according to a news release. The facility is one of the largest engineering buildings in the state at almost 200,000 square feet, and it plays home to the university’s Smith College of Engineering and Technology (SCET).