CU-Covid19
Read more about the article The University Of Illinois Dials Back Statements About FDA Authorization For Its COVID-19 TestPhoto: Christine Herman/Illinois Newsroom
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign requires students and employees get tested regularly for COVID-19, using a saliva-based test developed by its own researchers.

The University Of Illinois Dials Back Statements About FDA Authorization For Its COVID-19 Test

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s saliva-based COVID-19 test has never operated under emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, despite prior claims that it did, an FDA spokesperson tells Illinois Newsroom. So far, campus officials say the U of I has been contacted by 35 organizations, including other universities, expressing interest in adopting the campus’ Shield program, which involves testing, contact tracing and other mitigation measures.

Continue ReadingThe University Of Illinois Dials Back Statements About FDA Authorization For Its COVID-19 Test
Read more about the article Champaign County may get swept up into new restrictions; State cites rising rates of Covid-19 in nearby counties
A delivery van with saliva samples as Covid-19 testing takes place on the University of Illinois Quad in Urbana, IL on Wednesday, September 16, 2020.

Champaign County may get swept up into new restrictions; State cites rising rates of Covid-19 in nearby counties

State health officials may re-impose tighter Covid-19 restrictions on Champaign County because other counties in the region are reporting higher rates of the virus. On Wednesday, health officials said the number of saliva tests conducted by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has skewed the 7-day positivity rate in a 21 county region. The state uses the positivity rate to impose restrictions or lift mitigation efforts to reduce the spread of the virus. The number of University tests makes up 20% of all tests given in the state and officials said when its numbers are factored in, the region’s positivity rate is at 2%. Without including the university’s numbers, the positivity rate is 7.2% for other 20 counties in central Illinois area known as Region 6. An 8% rate would trigger additional state restrictions. Seven counties in Region 6 already are above the 8% positivity rate.

Continue ReadingChampaign County may get swept up into new restrictions; State cites rising rates of Covid-19 in nearby counties
Read more about the article University of Illinois COVID-19 cases surge past official predictionsUniversity of Illinois
The logo for the University of Illinois's COVID-19 SHIELD saliva-based testing.

University of Illinois COVID-19 cases surge past official predictions

University of Illinois officials reported 1,754 new cases from Aug. 15 when students started coming back to campus, through Sept. 8, although a team of researchers working directly for the university administration had projected only 500 to 700 cases by Thanksgiving.

Continue ReadingUniversity of Illinois COVID-19 cases surge past official predictions
Read more about the article Champaign-Urbana emergency orders fall short of researchers’ recommendationsReddit
Photos are being captured of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign student gatherings and parties as they return to campus. This gathering, located at Green Street Towers on August 21, 2020, was posted to Reddit, shaming students for ignoring city orders and not wearing masks amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Champaign-Urbana emergency orders fall short of researchers’ recommendations

The cities of Champaign and Urbana both issued emergency orders intended to prevent a possible surge in COVID-19 cases as students return to campus for the fall semester. Illinois researchers Eric Jakobsson and Santiago Nunez-Corrales created a computer model that estimated that students will bring back nine times the viral load – or rate of disease – than of community members. In a letter to both city councils, they recommended the cities, all bars and restaurants return to having only curbside pick-up, delivery or drive through. They said without those measures there could be an additional 800 cases, 80 more hospitalizations and four more deaths.

Continue ReadingChampaign-Urbana emergency orders fall short of researchers’ recommendations
Read more about the article University expands testing requirements as researchers predict hundreds more casesPam Dempsey/CU-CitizenAccess
A tent and signs indicate a Covid-19 testing site at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's Alice Campbell Alumni Center on Friday, July 31, 2020. The University is conducting free saliva tests for faculty, staff and students with results typically known within 48 hours.

University expands testing requirements as researchers predict hundreds more cases

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign quietly announced on Tuesday an expansion of its Covid-19 testing by requiring students to be tested routinely even if they live in the community but do not plan to come to campus. The decision comes during a week when two university epidemiologists recommended in a letter to city officials in Champaign and Urbana that they go back from current Phase 4 of the Illinois reopening plan to Phase 3 to limit the spread of the virus during the surge of returning students.

Continue ReadingUniversity expands testing requirements as researchers predict hundreds more cases
Read more about the article Returning international students from countries with lower infection rates of COVID-19 than the U.S.Pam Dempsey/CU-CitizenAccess
A tent and signs indicate a Covid-19 testing site at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's Alice Campbell Alumni Center on Friday, July 31, 2020. The University is conducting free saliva tests for faculty, staff and students with results typically known within 48 hours.

Returning international students from countries with lower infection rates of COVID-19 than the U.S.

Most of the international students from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s 2019-2020 academic year are from countries with lower daily Covid-19 infection rates than the United States, according to a CU-CitizenAccess analysis. Last spring, 9,824 international students attended the University from more than 100 countries, according to university data.

Continue ReadingReturning international students from countries with lower infection rates of COVID-19 than the U.S.
Read more about the article More than 20,000 university students may return from zip codes with higher positivity rates for COVID-19Pam Dempsey/CU-CitizenAccess.org
A tent and signs indicate a Covid-19 testing site at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's Alice Campbell Alumni Center on Friday, July 31, 2020. The University is conducting free saliva tests for faculty, staff and students with results typically known within 48 hours.

More than 20,000 university students may return from zip codes with higher positivity rates for COVID-19

Champaign County has had about 2 percent of those tested for the virus receive positive results, which means the person should self-quarantine for 14 days. But a comparison of state public health test data on August 3 and ZIP code data for students who attended the University in the last academic year shows that 20,000 out of 28,000 students from Illinois may arrive from ZIP codes with positive percentages above 5 percent, according to a review of the data by CU-CitizenAccess.org.

Continue ReadingMore than 20,000 university students may return from zip codes with higher positivity rates for COVID-19
Read more about the article Many returning university students may come from high-risk states for COVID-19Pam Dempsey/CU-CitizenAccess.org
A tent and signs indicate a Covid-19 testing site at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's Alice Campbell Alumni Center on Friday, July 31, 2020. The University is conducting free saliva tests for faculty, staff and students with results typically known within 48 hours.

Many returning university students may come from high-risk states for COVID-19

Since the Covid-19 pandemic began in January, Champaign County – home to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and about 50,000 faculty, students and staff – has experienced a low number of positive cases when compared to many other areas of the state and the U.S. A comparison of university data on where out-of-state students are from as of the last school year and data on the positivity rates in those states show as many as 5,000 students may be arriving from 32 states that have positivity rates higher than 5 percent, according to a review of the data by CU-CitizenAccess.org

Continue ReadingMany returning university students may come from high-risk states for COVID-19
Read more about the article Reports on “recovered” COVID-19 cases inconsistent and incomplete; Numbers elusive and may mislead on real medical impact of virusDylan Tiger
A Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting review of state health data found four primary categories of definitions for "recovered" COVID-19 patients. See below for an interactive version.

Reports on “recovered” COVID-19 cases inconsistent and incomplete; Numbers elusive and may mislead on real medical impact of virus

As Covid-19 surges again in the U.S., the high percentage of "recovered" cases might be cited as a sign that a vast majority of those infected quickly rid themselves of the virus. But the “recovered” statistics are incomplete, inconsistent and call into question the accuracy of any total number of recovered cases, according to a review of 50 state public health sites by CU-CitizenAccess.org.

Continue ReadingReports on “recovered” COVID-19 cases inconsistent and incomplete; Numbers elusive and may mislead on real medical impact of virus
Read more about the article Temporary worker at Rantoul meat processing plant tests positive for Covid-19Pam Dempsey, Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting
Medical staff prepare to test workers for Covid-19 at Rantoul Foods on Friday, May 8, 2020, as part of a two-day mass testing event. The meat processing plant had 55 confirmed cases as of Friday.

Temporary worker at Rantoul meat processing plant tests positive for Covid-19

After 26 days of no new reported cases, a Rantoul Foods worker has tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

Continue ReadingTemporary worker at Rantoul meat processing plant tests positive for Covid-19