USC records increase of more than 140 coronavirus cases in week after classes start
The University of South Carolina reported more than 140 new cases of COVID-19 since the start of classes less than a week ago on Wednesday evening.
The new case numbers appeared in USC’s coronavirus dashboard, which tracks the number of COVID-19 tests and cases among students and staff as well as the usage of on-campus quarantine and isolation spaces. It had previously not been updated since Thursday, Aug. 20, the first day of classes for the fall semester.
On Aug. 20, the university reported 44 active cases of the virus among students, with two among staff members. On Wednesday, the dashboard reported 188 active cases among students, an increase of 144, and just one among staff members.
From Aug. 21 to 25, 1,754 students were tested for the novel coronavirus, with 8.8% testing positive — 155 total new cases. By contrast, 181 staff members were tested, with none coming back positive.
In a town hall with students and parents, university president Bob Caslen said that given the rate of positive tests the school observed in students who stayed on campus over the summer, these latest figures were “predicted.”
“We recognize it is also serious, but it is in line with what he had predicted and what he had planned for. And quite frankly at 189 (active cases), we’re very fortunate that we’re not seeing numbers that some of our other peer universities and campuses are seeing,” Caslen said.
South Carolina previously announced Tuesday it was quarantining two sorority houses in its Greek Village due to outbreaks of the coronavirus. The school said all the cases were either asymptomatic or experiencing mild symptoms, with no hospitalizations.
As of Wednesday, 12.6% of the university’s designated quarantine and isolation spaces are in use, according to the dashboard. That usage rate had previously been at 4.9%.
The university did not say whether more clusters of cases have been identified. A cluster is five or more cases in close proximity.
The administration is aware of “numerous large, unsanctioned gatherings both on and off campus” during the first week back and that it expected positive case counts to rise, said Dr. Anna Edwards, associate vice president for student life, in a message to students released Tuesday.
In the popular nightlife district of Five Points, bars and restaurants were mostly subdued this past Thursday, normally a time when students would flock deep into the night. The city of Columbia, meanwhile, is set to issue an ordinance Thursday aimed at cracking down on house parties organized by students.
Caslen said during the town hall that the university observed Five Points this past weekend and observed that most people left shortly after 11 p.m. and that before then, crowds were “fair to good” at practicing social distancing and wearing face masks.
He warned, however, that off-campus parties were still an issue — USC officials were called and helped break up four parties at the Granby Mills apartment complex this weekend, Caslen said.
“If you are found in an investigation to have hosted a party, you will be suspended. And if you are found in an investigation to have broken isolation or quarantine, you will be suspended. And we’re very serious about that, and based on due process, if that’s the situation, we will take that appropriate action,” Caslen warned.
South Carolina isn’t the first university to deal with a surge in COVID-19 cases as students return to campus. The University of North Carolina and North Carolina State have both switched back to fully remote learning for the rest of the semester after multiple clusters of cases emerged, while the University of Notre Dame moved to two weeks of online learning.
At the University of Alabama, there have been more than 500 confirmed cases of the coronavirus among students, staff and faculty members in its first week back.
As part of USC’s dashboard, the school has a “campus alert status” ranging from 0 to 3 that accounts for several factors and standards for the virus. If the status reaches certain levels, additional health and safety protocols will be put in place, potentially including the suspension of in-person classes.
With Wednesday’s update, the campus alert status rose to 0.45, meaning the school remains open with the current protocols still in place.
This story was originally published August 26, 2020 at 7:00 PM.
