USC could run out of space to quarantine students as COVID-19 spreads, doctor warns
If coronavirus cases continue to rise at the University of South Carolina at the rates recorded since students came back to campus, the university could soon reach its quarantine capacity, a doctor at USC’s medical school warns.
“With the trajectory and the percentage of positive cases, we are getting close to the capacity of our testing, quarantine and isolation rooms,” said Dr. Helmut Albrecht, the director of infectious disease research at the USC School of Medicine. “It’s not sustainable if the uptick continues.”
On Tuesday, USC announced the number of active cases on its Columbia campus had surpassed 1,000, almost doubling the number of cases identified at the end of the prior week. The university is currently using 60% of its designated quarantine space, as 27.7% of students tested between Aug. 28 and Aug. 31 came back positive.
Albrecht warns that USC may have to shift its reopening strategy if the numbers continue to rise.
“I don’t think 3,000 (cases) alone would overwhelm (the system), but that many active cases in one week might,” he said. “If we can’t handle it with tracing and quarantine, that’s not fine, and if it starts breaking out into the community, you could see a wider outbreak.”
But the doctor said USC has been proactive in setting up a testing regime from scratch using staff from its pharmacy school, and is being transparent with the data it collects, even if the college’s COVID-19 dashboard is only being updated twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays.
University spokesman Jeff Stensland said the university still has quarantine capacity to spare, even beyond what is represented by its online dashboard.
“That’s meant to be a floor, not a ceiling,” Stensland said.
Currently, USC has 10 houses in its Greek Village under quarantine. The school also houses quarantined students in the Bates West building on Whaley Street and in the National Advocacy Center on Pendleton Street.
Many of the students who have tested positive likely brought the virus with them to campus, given the large number identified so quickly, Albrecht said. However, each student diagnosed with the coronavirus can be appropriately quarantined, even if they don’t display any symptoms of the virus.
“The numbers are concerning, but they didn’t go to Soda City or visit grandma over the weekend,” Albrecht said.
Other community leaders have said they are watching how events unfold at USC closely.
“Since 1801, the fortunes of the city and the university have been inextricably intertwined,” said Mayor Steve Benjamin, referencing the date of USC’s founding. “No other place in South Carolina has tens of thousands of students from across the country and the globe coming into town. Epidemiologically, the impact is huge.”
Benjamin said his biggest concern is the “irresponsible behavior” of some students like those who took part in a large pool party at an apartment complex that was broken up by the fire department over the weekend. In his conversations with USC officials, Benjamin has been told the university believes it has the spread under control, and it has been able to identify and quarantine those students who are most at risk of contracting or spreading the disease.
The mayor has asked USC President Bob Caslen to address the city council at its Sept. 15 meeting.
“I’m naturally an optimist,” Benjamin said. “At essence this is an exercise in mutual responsibility. We need to step up to meet this moment.”
Richland County administration is also in regular contact with USC on the issue, said Council Chairman Paul Livingston.
“We’re trying to do what we can do, so they can at least control it as much as they can,” Livingston said. “Most of (the students) are doing ok, but there’s still a percent you have to worry about.”
The district of state Sen. Dick Harpootlian, D-Richland, includes much of the university area. He fears the number of active cases on campus could spread into the surrounding community.
“Some people might say ‘kids will be kids,’ but if you go into Five Points ... it’s like going through a gauntlet of unmasked kids,” Harpootlian said.
He says USC needs to take aggressive action against students who violate quarantine or social distancing requirements, up to and including expulsion. But he’s also nervous about what it would mean for the community if the college is forced to shut down.
“That would not only be bad for Carolina, it’s bad for the economy because students spend money in the community,” the senator said.
At Cool Beans coffee bar on College Street, manager Kitty Mirosavich said local businesses welcome the return of students, while keeping their own social distancing measures in place. Cool Beans is currently operating at 50% capacity and requires staff and customers to wear masks.
“This is a neat place because we have so many different small places. You can social distance here better than some other places,” Mirosavich said. “We take it seriously, because a lot of downtown businesses need to have the (student) population back to be able to survive.”
Spikes like the one seen at USC happen “when people don’t follow the regulations,” she said.
Jeb Babcock, co-owner of Cantina 76 and Za’s restaurants, is concerned about the situation as someone who employs many USC students. He requires employees to undergo regular temperature checks, and if they have a fever, they can’t come back to work until they have a negative covid test.
“What happens in the fall is the biggest concern, when it gets cold and the regular flu comes back,” Babcock said. “I hope they can pull football off, because that’s huge for business, especially in a college football town like Columbia.”
Albrecht of the medical school said most students are following the rules necessary for USC to be able to function. Images like the pictures of the weekend pool party “are sexier than showing kids who behave really well.”
“A lot of the behavior is much better than what is being displayed,” he said.
But USC junior Jackson Nietert said the university is generally handling the pandemic “poorly.” He is in quarantine because he was in contact with someone who tested positive. He has not tested positive, but his roommate has a cough and is going to get tested soon.
He was concerned about returned to campus, but when he got to USC he was more nervous. “I thought the university should be a little stricter,” he said.
Nietert thinks things on campus are getting out of hand.
“The spread has been so fast that I think that closing might be the right thing to do,” Nietert said. “I think a lot of people are realizing people need to be tested regularly.”
On Thursday, USC suspended on-campus testing.
“I think the administration, all things considered, has been handling it pretty well. I know there are a lot of factors going into their decision,” said sophomore Felicity Ropp. “I talked to somebody the other day and they said ‘it’s simple, just close it down,’ but no it’s not that simple.”
Of Ropp’s six classes, five of them are in person, which is rare for most students, she said.
“It’s been really fun to be back in the classroom ... so I really hope we can stay open,” she said. “My professors have all been super accommodating if I need to get tested or something.”
Reporter Lucas Daprile contributed.
This story was originally published September 4, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
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