Read on Twitter
I’m going to try a Twitter thread/rant about COVID-19, @UVA, and @JMU, so bear with me here. I've never tried something like this, but I'm somewhat frustrated (1/x)
Today, @JMU announced that students need to leave dorms by September 7th and that classes will be almost entirely online until at least October 5th. JMU is reporting 500+ cases of COVID-19 after only five days of classes, per @TheBreezeJMU
Meanwhile, @UVA decided to reopen on September 8th after delaying for two weeks, as it waited for virus prevalence in the region to decrease and the testing supply to get better. Presumably, they also watched many of their ACC peers struggle to successfully keep students safe.
@UVA has sometimes made me really happy — and sometimes extremely frustrated — with their COVID-19 dashboard. Reporting hospitalizations and testing times, good! Not reporting the % positive, something that UVA used to explain their reopening delay... bad!
But what is quickly becoming clear is that it is CRUCIAL that University’s show positive tests from off-campus testing sites, something made abundantly clear by JMUs data.
JMU's testing is the orange, student self-reported testing is the purple.
JMU's testing is the orange, student self-reported testing is the purple.
If one looked at only the yellow data (data from testing at the school) one might’ve thought that the amount of COVID-19 spread in and around campus had been getting better when, in reality, it never really stopped climbing.
To reemphasize this point: without displaying the outrageous (but predictable) growth in self-reported cases, we never would have fully understood the scale of this outbreak.
Without this self-reported data from students not getting tested at non-University clinics, we would have missed 120 cases just today. 120 cases that would not have been on this dashboard. 120 cases in the community that may or may not have been students. Can you see the problem?
Of course, here @UVA, one can always look at the data from the Thomas Jefferson Health District to fill in the blanks. But the technology is clearly there for @UVA to accept student-reported cases and display the percent positives, but they have chosen not to. One must ask why.
Again, we have the technology, especially for percent positive. Check out the dashboard from Virginia Tech, VCU, UNC... I need not go on.
To wrap this up, this rant has two major conclusions:
1) Understanding the number of off-Grounds (campus) positives is crucial. UVA has a massive off-Grounds population, many of whom will likely not get tested through UVA. This data should not slip through the cracks.
1) Understanding the number of off-Grounds (campus) positives is crucial. UVA has a massive off-Grounds population, many of whom will likely not get tested through UVA. This data should not slip through the cracks.
2) Why isn't UVA reporting percent positive? Why? Will someone please give me a logical answer.
Rant over. (12/12)
Rant over. (12/12)
Actually, rant not over.
It is worth reminding people that the community has spoken out against reopening.
Charlottesville's Human Rights Commission asked @presjimryan not to have students return.
Charlottesville's Mayor asked @UVA to not have students return.
It is worth reminding people that the community has spoken out against reopening.
Charlottesville's Human Rights Commission asked @presjimryan not to have students return.
Charlottesville's Mayor asked @UVA to not have students return.
@UCWVA, a union of workers that has formed at UVA, has asked the University not to open.
@uva_ra, a collective of some of UVA's fabulous RAs, have asked to be treated like the front-line workers they are and have so far been denied.
Should UVA be able to ignore this?
@uva_ra, a collective of some of UVA's fabulous RAs, have asked to be treated like the front-line workers they are and have so far been denied.
Should UVA be able to ignore this?
The answer is no. The question was rhetorical.
Now the rant is over. (15/12)
Now the rant is over. (15/12)
