1. Interventions to Disrupt Coronavirus Disease Transmission at a University, Wisconsin, USA, August–October 2020
- Author
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Dustin W. Currie, Gage K. Moreno, Miranda J. Delahoy, Ian W. Pray, Amanda Jovaag, Katarina M. Braun, Devlin Cole, Todd Shechter, Geroncio C. Fajardo, Carol Griggs, Brian S. Yandell, Steve Goldstein, Dena Bushman, Hannah E. Segaloff, G. Patrick Kelly, Collin Pitts, Christine Lee, Katarina M. Grande, Amanda Kita-Yarbro, Brittany Grogan, Sara Mader, Jake Baggott, Allen C. Bateman, Ryan P. Westergaard, Jacqueline E. Tate, Thomas C. Friedrich, Hannah L. Kirking, David H. O’Connor, and Marie E. Killerby
- Subjects
COVID-19 ,SARS-CoV-2 ,coronavirus disease ,severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 ,viruses ,respiratory infections ,Medicine ,Infectious and parasitic diseases ,RC109-216 - Abstract
University settings have demonstrated potential for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreaks; they combine congregate living, substantial social activity, and a young population predisposed to mild illness. Using genomic and epidemiologic data, we describe a COVID-19 outbreak at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA. During August–October 2020, a total of 3,485 students, including 856/6,162 students living in dormitories, tested positive. Case counts began rising during move-in week, August 25–31, 2020, then rose rapidly during September 1–11, 2020. The university initiated multiple prevention efforts, including quarantining 2 dormitories; a subsequent decline in cases was observed. Genomic surveillance of cases from Dane County, in which the university is located, did not find evidence of transmission from a large cluster of cases in the 2 quarantined dorms during the outbreak. Coordinated implementation of prevention measures can reduce COVID-19 spread in university settings and may limit spillover to the surrounding community.
- Published
- 2021
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