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SIU backs off, will now report COVID-19 cases

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Illinois

* Background is here if you need it. From Molly Parker at the Southern Illinoisan…

Southern Illinois University officials on Thursday began publicly reporting a running total of COVID-19 cases on campus after facing backlash for a previously announced decision not to do so.

SIU’s COVID-19 dashboard will report total cases as it relates to on-campus students, off-campus students and faculty/staff. Currently, the university is reporting three total cases involving students who are living off campus.

Chancellor Austin Lane notes disclosure of an affiliation with the university is optional, but encourages individuals to provide that information if they are asked by the health department. Jackson County Health Department Administrator Bart Hagston said that the vast majority of people who test positive for COVID-19 fully cooperate in reporting their affiliated schools and employers.

But…

SIU plans to report total active COVID-19 cases weekly. The information will come from the health department. Ben Newman, SIU’s director of public safety and chief of police, said they currently do not have a number to share of how many university-affiliates are in quarantine after being exposed to the virus, but notes there are nuances with quarantine directives.

I’m guessing the weekly reporting idea is also going to come in for some criticism.

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Aug 21, 20 @ 10:14 am

Comments

== Hagston said that the vast majority of people who test positive for COVID-19 fully cooperate in reporting==

Note to southern Illinois: when dealing with a highly contagious virus, “the vast majority” isn’t good enough.

Comment by Lester Holt’s Mustache Friday, Aug 21, 20 @ 10:20 am
Note to Lester: When there is 100% cooperation in Northern Illinois I’ll appreciate the mini lecture.

Comment by Sylvania Friday, Aug 21, 20 @ 10:24 am
Sylvania, that southern Illinois region is about to hit mitigation levels. So, maybe stop playing the victim and do something about it.

Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Aug 21, 20 @ 10:35 am
“Note to southern Illinois: when dealing with a highly contagious virus, “the vast majority” isn’t good enough.”

Do you really believe this issue is limited to southern Illinois? It’s interesting that you rarely (if ever?) hear about the compliance percentage on contact tracing. I’d be shocked if every area of the state didn’t have issues.

Good for SIU here. Hopefully U of I follows suit and releases their results.

Comment by Testing Friday, Aug 21, 20 @ 10:43 am
Does this reporting apply to Carbondale only or Edwardsville as well? I can’t seem to find that after looking.

Comment by JS Mill Friday, Aug 21, 20 @ 10:55 am
Here’s the thing - just using Jackson County numbers is not adequate. Too many students and staff live just over the county line. Will those students/staff actually be counted and included in the weekly counts? Please forgive my overwhelming skepticism.

Comment by DownSouth Friday, Aug 21, 20 @ 11:14 am
== When there is 100% cooperation in Northern Illinois==
Yeah I don’t live in northern Illinois, so I don’t really give a hoot whether you appreciate it or not

== Do you really believe this issue is limited to southern Illinois? ==
I was addressing the university, not the region. And yes, I do - I’m not aware of any other university with a policy of “optional disclosure” for students and faculty/staff who test positive. They won’t be able to stop the spread on campus if “vast majority” is the standard

Comment by Lester Holt’s Mustache Friday, Aug 21, 20 @ 11:51 am
We have our own issues in the southern part of the state….as an employer we get calls from some health departments about cases and other health departments depend on patient self-reporting. Then we have schools posting students without masks (no social distancing) on Facebook pages. Everyone needs to get on the same page.

Comment by southernIllinoisBob Friday, Aug 21, 20 @ 12:39 pm
Totally agree southernIllinoisBob - totally agree. My experience mirrors yours.

Comment by DownSouth Friday, Aug 21, 20 @ 12:48 pm
America is crying out for leadership…everywhere.

Virus first…economy second…is the only way out.

It is not a choice…it’s according to natural order… one that was properly recognized by most of the World’s leaders .

Quarantine works…only if done properly.

Comment by Dotnonymous Friday, Aug 21, 20 @ 12:58 pm
Credit goes to the Daily Egyptian for revealing this stunt. Glad someone is watching

Comment by Annoin' Friday, Aug 21, 20 @ 2:39 pm
What will it take to get everyone to take COVID-19 disease seriously? Parents deserve to know if there are any active cases on campus where their children attend. The dept of public health and dept of higher education departments also needs that information.

Comment by Mama Friday, Aug 21, 20 @ 2:52 pm
Ultimately, all universities should not just report a few numbers, but should develop dashboards with action levels. Let the students (and everyone else) clearly see where things are and what restrictions/freedoms will be in place at different levels. The more people can see and relate to cause and effect, the more likely they are to behave more responsibly.

Imagine students working together to hit a target…

Comment by Pot calling kettle Friday, Aug 21, 20 @ 3:35 pm