Worries among UVM students, faculty as Covid numbers spike

"Despite worries that the return of UVM students for the fall would cause an outbreak in the community — a scenario that has played out in some college towns — case counts had remained relatively stable. The university reported only 91 cases among its 12,000 students from their August arrival through the end of November.

This semester, however, UVM has seen rising case numbers. In the two weeks since classes began Feb. 1, 78 students and two staff members have tested positive for the coronavirus.

And although the overall positivity rate remains low — about 0.3% — the numbers appear to be climbing. In the first week of February, 32 students tested positive; in the second week, that number grew to 46....

The university conducts more than a thousand tests each day, on average, and it must report the results of those tests to the state. But UVM puts out only weekly reports on the cases to the public — with a seven-day delay. "

Katya Schwenk, vtdigger

February 18, 2021