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The number of coronavirus cases on the Michigan State University website since Aug. 24 jumped to 1,219 Thursday, two days after Ingham County health officer Linda Vail noted the website was significantly undercounting MSU-related cases. U-M boosts its reporting too.
Hours after a committee hearing in which health officials said they can’t report school outbreaks more than once a week, Michigan’s public health director told Bridge Michigan the Whitmer administration may order schools to publicly reveal outbreaks as they are confirmed.
Big Ten college football is set to begin Oct. 24. A professor of sport management at the University of Michigan addresses some benefits and potential drawbacks of playing football too soon.
Once-weekly reporting of coronavirus outbreaks in schools is the most local public health workers can handle, state health officials argued Wednesday.
Ingham County health officer Linda Vail said Michigan State has more than double the number of coronavirus cases listed on the school’s website. She said if case counts don’t drop, she would advise MSU to call off its opening game against Rutgers.
There is a surge in cases in K-12 schools and on college campuses, but, so far, there’s no sign of increased hospitalizations.
The University of Michigan counts COVID tests it administers on its website, but leaves out testing performed by county health officials. Disparate testing plans from school to school make it difficult to compare coronavirus spread across campuses.
A group of more than 30 news outlets and transparency groups wrote to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Wednesday, asking her to require schools to report COVID-19 outbreaks faster. The information comes as cases soar among some colleges and schools.
Ron French is one of eight journalists nationally to receive the fellowship at Princeton University. He will continue working at Bridge while participating in the fellowship remotely due to COVID-19.
COVID is spreading at Grand Valley through off-campus gatherings and students who become infected aren’t saying who they’ve been hanging out with, health officials said.
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