Some University of Wisconsin System campuses are expanding their coronavirus antigen testing strategies to include students living off campus.
UW Campuses Expand COVID-19 Antigen Testing To Off-Campus Students
Wisconsin Public Radio
Category: Health
US colleges that welcomed students back likely led to a surge in Covid cases |
The Guardian
Her school, the University of Wisconsin – Madison, halted in-person classes for two weeks after cases spiked to over a thousand on the campus of more than 40,000. Cross said she is disappointed with the number of students she sees still walking around campus without a mask – even though the school requires masks in school buildings.
COVID-19 Is Ravaging Wisconsin, And Wisconsinites Still Aren’t Staying Home
Wisconsin Public Radio
Ajay Sethi, a public health professor with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said in the absence of a vaccine, the disease’s spread slows only in one of two ways: because the population achieves “herd immunity,” where most people are protected from prior infections, or because people follow public health practices. And every available study, Sethi said, shows Americans are nowhere close to herd immunity, and that attempting to achieve it would require mass infections and deaths.
UW Health experts bust seven myths about flu shots
WKOW-TV 27
As COVID-19 cases continue to spread across Wisconsin, doctors and health care professionals are urging people to get a flu shot to avoid a “twindemic.”
UW Madison awards $6 million in grants to health equity initiatives
NBC-15
The Wisconsin Partnership Program at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health announced the awards on Friday. Six groups were awarded $1 million, including initiatives that address the health of Black men and women, prevent suicide among Wisconsin farmers and promote economic stability and restorative justice, according to the release.
Can Your Boss Require You To Get A COVID-19 Vaccine When It’s Released?
Wisconsin Public Radio
Alta Charo, a professor of law and bioethics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, also added that, in some instances, union contracts bar employers from requiring vaccination.
Doctor On Wisconsin Hospital Preparation Amid Coronavirus Surge
NPR
NPR’s Ailsa Chang talks with Nasia Safdar, medical director of infection control and protection at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, about a spike in coronavirus cases in Wisconsin.
4 key battleground states reporting record-high coronavirus cases weeks from Election Day –
ABC News
Ajay K. Sethi, an associate professor in population health sciences at the University of Wisconsin, told ABC News that the state has put in place strict restrictions to make sure voters are safe.
“Since previous COVID cases were tied to polling locations during the April spring election, there certainly is awareness and concern for additional spread of the virus on Election Day,” said Sethi. “Election officials are preparing to operate polling places safely, and a record number of Wisconsinites have voted already, so I am hopeful that Election Day will not add more fuel to the fire.”
Wisconsin Partnership Program to grant $6 million towards initiatives, health equity in Wisconsin
Daily Cardinal
The Wisconsin Partnership Program, an arm of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, aims to foster the goal of ensuring long-term health and wellbeing for the people of Wisconsin. Established in 2004, the Program has awarded 539 research, education and community grants to Wisconsin-based initiatives, totaling well over $254 million dollars.
Why New Dads Struggle With Depression – Male Postpartum Depression
Men's Health
There have been some appeals by experts over the years to take paternal PPD seriously, but those calls have been largely ignored. In January, three leading researchers, Tova Walsh, Ph.D., Neal Davis, M.D., and Craig Garfield, M.D., published a piece in Pediatrics—the influential journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics—urging pediatricians to screen for paternal PPD, just as they do for maternal postpartum depression. “It is now critical to recognize paternal depression as a community of pediatric providers and ensure consistent screening, referral, and follow-up,” they wrote.
Madison-area hospitals create no-tolerance outline for discriminatory behavior
NBC-15
CEO at UW Health Dr. Alan Kaplan said they are ready to call out and confront behavior. “Our diversity is our strength,” Dr. Kaplan said. “And we are committed to addressing any manifestations of racism, xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia, sexism, prejudice, and intolerance.”
Madison hospitals adopt policies on patient discriminatory behavior
Wisconsin State Journal
SSM Health, which owns St. Mary’s Hospital, approved a policy in June, saying it won’t honor patient requests for alternate caregivers that are rooted in bigotry. UW Health passed a similar policy in July, and UnityPoint Health-Meriter is in the process of adopting such a policy. The hospitals announced the effort Thursday.
With record COVID-19 hospitalizations, Wisconsin opens overflow facility
Wisconsin State Journal
In Madison, SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital, UnityPoint Health-Meriter and UW Hospital were not planning to immediately send any patients to the overflow facility, spokeswomen said Wednesday. The hospitals have rescheduled a few procedures to help maintain adequate capacity, they said.
Rockford man credits massive weight loss gets him off the heart transplant list
NBC-15
UW Health celebrated Saterlee’s prognosis, noting how rare it is.
UW-Madison sees decline in COVID-19 cases, UHS urges maintenance of social distancing
Daily Cardinal
Over a month after Sept. 9, when a record 290 UW-Madison students and faculty tested positive for COVID-19 with a 12.8 percent positive rate, the 7-day on-campus positive testing rate now reached 1.0 percent, with 15 new cases reported Tuesday according to the Smart Restart dashboard.
How coronavirus’s genetic code can help control outbreaks
Washington Post
“It’s still kind of like a volunteer fire department,” said Tom Friedrich, a virologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a member of the consortium. “Labs that already have the interest and capacity are sequencing, but that leaves other places lacking in coverage.”
Some of the biggest gaps are in places where outbreaks are most out of control, noted Friedrich’s University of Wisconsin colleague Dave O’Connor. “It is sort of like a street only being illuminated where there happen to be streetlights,” he said. “You can’t know anything about the areas that are dark.”
Court Upholds Evers Administration’s Statewide Mask Mandate
Wisconsin Public Radio
Evers has used his powers to declare three public health emergencies this year. The first came March 12, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The second, on July 30, led to the first mask mandate and came as COVID-19 cases were beginning to climb. And the third, on Sept. 22, extended the mask mandate as COVID-19 cases were surging on University of Wisconsin campuses.
As Wisconsin cases continue to rise, UW campuses see big declines in cases
WISC-TV 3
On the UW-Madison campus, the 7-day combined average of cases is currently 17. Just four weeks ago it was 161. On Sept. 9, the university hit its peak with 404 new cases in a single day.
More than 3,000 UW-Madison students have contracted COVID-19. This is one student’s story
Wisconsin State Journal
More than 3,000 of UW-Madison’s 45,500 students have contracted COVID-19 since late July. Some of them gathered in large groups without a mask, desperate to make friends in a new place or reconnect with old ones after months away. Others came into contact with the virus through their roommate or fraternity brother or some other seemingly unavoidable way. There’s also students like Post, who tested positive despite all of their efforts to dodge it.
Is It Possible to Party Safely at Dance Events During the Coronavirus Pandemic?
Billboard
According to Dr. Ajay K. Sethi, associate professor of population health sciences at the University of Wisconsin, the testing protocol at In My Elements was solid, though not entirely fail-safe. “Multiple rounds are better than a one-time test at the time of admission,” Sethi says. “The PCR test result indicates that virus was not detected on the day that testing was performed. If someone was exposed and infected the day before PCR testing, then the test may miss detection of the virus.”
Wisconsin Health Official Says Her State Is A ‘Dangerous Place’ As COVID-19 Cases Rise
Here & Now
Among the state’s responses is a plan to open a field hospital next week at the state fairgrounds outside Milwaukee. Host Tonya Mosley talks to Nasia Safdar, the head of Infection Control at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
No Fans For Badgers, Packers As Wisconsin Remains COVID-19 Hot Spot
Wisconsin Public Radio
For Badgers games, the University of Wisconsin-Madison initially planned to allow about 1,500 people to attend games, mostly the families of players and staff. But Chancellor Rebecca Blank announced Wednesday that plans have changed.
Wisconsin GOP: We ‘Don’t Care’ Guv Is Trying to Save Lives
The Daily Beast
“We’re in dire straits,” Ajay K. Sethi, an associate professor in population health sciences at the University of Wisconsin, said earlier this week. “As far as number of cases per capita, we’re among the highest in the country right now, along with other areas of the Midwest including North Dakota and South Dakota.”
Cap Times Idea Fest: Experts caution against expectations of a return to normal with vaccine
The Capital Times
James Conway was joined by UW-Madison epidemiologist Malia Jones and Nasia Safdar, medical director for infection control at UW Hospital and Clinics to discuss what happens after the approval of a COVID-19 vaccine. Cap Times reporter Abigail Becker moderated the discussion.
Madison hospitals may limit elective surgeries, procedures amid record COVID-19 hospitalizations
Wisconsin State Journal
Urgent procedures like c-sections, appendectomies, bone fracture repair and other emergency surgeries will continue, UnityPoint Health-Meriter, SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital, and UW Health said in a joint announcement.
COVID-19 vaccine trial at UW Health still on hold as Trump, FDA clash on approval rules
Wisconsin State Journal
ACOVID-19 vaccine trial at UW Health and around the country, halted a week after it started last month, has not resumed and it’s not clear when it might.
UW Health monitoring COVID-19 case surge, preparing for more patients
WISC-TV 3
Dane County has more patients with COVID-19 in the hospital at one time than ever before. There were 60 as of Thursday morning, and hospital leaders are preparing for more.
UW Health encourages people to get flu shots at drive-thru clinic
NBC-15
The drive-thru clinic is open from 8:15 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. at 3185 Deming Way in Middleton. It will be open until October 31 and does not require an appointment.
UW Madison related COVID-19 cases continue to dip in Dane Co. total cases
NBC-15
There were 1,677 total cases reported this week, and 1,378 of them were non-UW cases.
Even In COVID-19 Hot Spots, Many Colleges Aren’t Aggressively Testing Students
WBEZ Chicago
As colleges have seen outbreaks, many have reconfigured their approaches to testing. At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, after rising cases forced the campus into a two-week lockdown, students living in on-campus housing will now be tested weekly. After a surge in cases at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va. — a school that was testing only students who believed they had been exposed or were feeling sick — the university halted in-person classes, sent some students home and hired an outside firm to start a surveillance testing program.
US Colleges Struggle to Balance COVID-19 With Classes
Voice of America - English
Some of those closures came after students returned to campus or nearby, and COVID-19 cases spiked. James Madison University in Virginia halted in-person classes completely, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison saw an increase in cases that forced the school to enter a two-week lockdown.
Resist pressure, spend money to do right by college students amid COVID
USA Today
At the start of the school year, University of Wisconsin-Madison saw a significant surge in COVID-19 positive test results. In response, the university paused in-person instruction for two weeks, restricted students to their residences, and banned all large gatherings. University Chancellor Rebecca Blank explained this drastic measure as critical to not just flattening the curve of infection, but to maintaining the “opportunity to have campus open to students this semester, which we know many students truly want.”
UW Professor speaks on indoor COVID-19 safety measures following Evers’ new mandate
Badger Herald
Following Gov. Tony Evers’ statewide mandate limiting indoor businesses to 25% of their normal capacity issues yesterday, UW air quality expert Tim Bertram spoke in a Badger Talks video about safety measures people should take while being indoors to limit the chance they get infected with the virus.
After Moving Classes Online Temporarily, UW Campuses Are Seeing Fewer Coronavirus Cases
WPR
Three University of Wisconsin campuses are mostly back to normal, after COVID-19 spikes forced administrators to halt in-person classes and quarantine residence halls for two weeks. So far, the number of students testing positive at UW-Madison, UW-La Crosse and UW-River Falls has decreased substantially.
Campus COVID-19 spike subsides: What’s behind UW-Madison’s drop in cases?
Wisconsin State Journal
The downward trend began during a two-week pause in face-to-face instruction and quarantine of two large dorms. Even amid a statewide surge in COVID-19, the university’s decline has continued for 23 consecutive days, outlasting expectations that cases would again spike seven to 10 days after the lockdown lifted.
UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank: The changes we’ve made are working to combat virus
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Video: In a livestream to alumni, UW Chancellor Rebecca Blank talks about how the changes they’ve made at the school have helped lower the number of positive Covid-19 tests on campus.
UW Health donates child care equipment
WISC-TV 3
UW Health has been working to donate child care equipment to local organizations.
Tracking movement in Wisconsin, leading up to latest health order
NBC-15
A ‘mobility map’ out of UW-Madison tracks how Wisconsin came to be the “nation’s COVID-19 hot spot,” according to Governor Tony Evers.
Public Health Madison & Dane County offers possible explanations for decrease in UW COVID-19 cases
Badger Herald
Despite the recent decrease in COVID-19 cases on UW-Madison campus, it remains uncertain whether this improvement is merely a routine fluctuation or the result of adherence to on campus COVID-19 guidelines, PHMDC Public Health Supervisor and COVID-19 Data Team Lead Katherine Grande said.
Some medical experts question Trump’s exit from Walter Reed hospital
NBC News
Dr. William Hartman, who is leading several Covid-19 clinical trials at University of Wisconsin Health in Madison, said it is unusual for patients to go home before they have finished their IV medications. But “the White House is a different situation, obviously,” Hartman said. “He can get that type of care there.”
Judge Questions Need For Court To Rule On Mask Mandate
Wisconsin Public Radio
Evers has used the powers to declare three public health emergencies this year. The first came March 12, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The second, on July 30, led to the first mask mandate and came as COVID-19 cases were beginning to climb. And the third, on Sept. 22, extended the mask mandate as COVID-19 cases were surging on University of Wisconsin campuses.
COVID-19 hospitalizations at record levels in Wisconsin, Dane County
Wisconsin State Journal
“It is vital at this point to preserve the capacity of the health care systems and, equally importantly, to protect the health care workforce,” said Dr. Nasia Safdar, medical director of infection control at UW Health.
UW Health using saliva collection for many patients needing COVID-19 tests
WISC-TV 3
A nose swab will still be used for children under three years old, the release said. Also patients who have symptoms of COVID-19 and patients who cannot produce enough saliva will also get a nose swab as opposed to the spit test.
UW Health uses COVID-19 saliva testing for patients undergoing procedures
WKOW-TV 27
The method is being used for UW Health patients 3-years-old or older who are asymptomatic and being screened before an operation or procedure, said UW Health.
With COVID-19 hospitalizations up in Dane County, officials urge masks, staying home
Wisconsin State Journal
“We are perilously close” to the county’s peak of COVID-19 hospitalizations in April, said Dr. Nasia Safdar, medical director of infection control at UW Health. “It is vital at this point to preserve the capacity of the health care systems and, equally importantly, to protect the health care workforce.”
Wisconsin Struggles to Explain Sudden Covid-19 Spike
The Wall Street Journal
“When it’s not enforced, you’re seeing very low mask-wearing rates,” said Jeff Pothof, chief quality officer with UW Health, a health system that serves more than 600,000 patients each year. “When we do contact tracing, it’s not the people who have been wearing their mask and doing social distancing that we’re talking to.”
UW students, staff account for far smaller percent of cases this week compared to last
WISC-TV 3
According to Public Health Madison & Dane County, UW students and staff made up 38% of cases last week. Public Health said that number was 65% the previous week.
UW Health doctor shows concern over Wisconsin’s hospital capacity
WISC-TV 3
Chief Quality Officer Dr. Jeff Pothof says UW Health is still able to manage the number of patients.
Companies Ditch Plans for Rapid Coronavirus Spit Tests at Home
The New York Times
Another saliva LAMP test is being tested by David O’Connor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Their technique bears many similarities to the Columbia test, including a color-based readout, but takes slightly longer and involves a couple of extra steps. Early trials of the test on volunteers in Wisconsin have gone well, Dr. O’Connor said, and one school district in Illinois is using the test to screen about 1,400 students and teachers on a weekly basis.
Tommy Thompson and Andrew S. Petersen: UW System is keeping COVID-19 in check
Wisconsin State Journal
With the UW Board of Regents, we imposed a mask-wearing mandate on campus, and our students are taking it seriously. We’ve seen them — they’re even wearing masks walking down the street or riding their bikes. Our university leadership, faculty and staff also are modeling this important behavior.
Dane County Board urges UW-Madison to move classes online, close dorms
Wisconsin State Journal
The Dane County Board urged UW-Madison to move all classes online and empty out dorms, the latest call from local officials for the university to take more drastic action to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Colleges Use Targeted Lockdowns, Online Classes to Preserve Fall Semester
WSJ
Providence is among colleges taking drastic steps to try to slow the spread of Covid-19, essentially pressing pause to salvage the rest of their fall term for face-to-face instruction and campus activities. The University of Arizona urged students to shelter in place for two weeks, while the University of Wisconsin-Madison and University of Colorado Boulder quarantined thousands of students and moved classes online for weeks, too.
UW’s Badger Seal promises to make masks work better
Wisconsin State Journal
The innovation came after a study by two University of Wisconsin-Madison mechanical engineering professors revealed that various existing masks and face shields allow tiny particles to escape, both through the material and at the edges. If the wearer is infected with the novel coronavirus, that means the virus could travel from the wearer’s mouth or nose and infect those around them.
UW study looks to keep nursing homes safe during COVID-19 with telehealth
WKOW-TV 27
The goal of the study is to gather data that will allow his team to design and implement a new telehealth model in nursing homes.
Coronavirus has now killed 1 million people around the world
NBC News
The University of Wisconsin-Madison had more than 2,800 confirmed student cases as of Friday. At Kansas State University, more than 2,200 students have been placed in quarantine or isolation. The University of Missouri has recorded more than 1,500 confirmed cases among students since classes started.
Wisconsin’s September COVID-19 Spike ‘Couldn’t Have Come At A Worse Time’
Wisconsin Public Radio
“It’s bad,” said Ajay Sethi, a public health professor with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and it’s likely to get worse.
US colleges struggle to salvage semester amid outbreaks
AP
Faculty members from at least two universities have held no-confidence votes in recent weeks against their top leaders, in part over reopening decisions. Government leaders want the University of Wisconsin-Madison to send its students home. Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, alarmed by what he sees as draconian rules on college campuses, said he is drawing up a “bill of rights” for college students.
Young People Are Spreading the Virus
The New York Times
In Wednesday’s newsletter, we mentioned a spat between the chancellor of the University of Wisconsin and the executive of the surrounding Dane County. Over the past week, there have been an average of 2,018 cases per day in Wisconsin, an increase of 112 percent from the average two weeks earlier, according to a Times tracker.
University of Wisconsin-Madison Lifts Quarantine on 2 of its Largest Dorms
NBC Chicago
The University of Wisconsin-Madison lifted quarantine orders for two of its largest dorms on Wednesday, on a day when the state added 56 hospitalizations from COVID-19 complications to its record total.
Why Is University of Wisconsin-Madison Reopening During ‘Near-Exponential’ COVID Surge?
The Daily Beast
Just two weeks after going remote because of a COVID-19 spike, the University of Wisconsin Madison is resuming in-person activities, despite what Gov. Tony Evers described as a “near-exponential” increase in coronavirus cases in the state.