Jaw-dropping @BBCRadio4 interview w VC of University of Manchester: surprised by rapidity of outbreaks!; claims the main problem was failure to sufficiently communicate to students the need to follow guidelines!
.@OfficialUoM VC: "I think we were surprised by the speed and scale of the numbers that tested positive. ...It was very much a feature of something that seemed to happen very fast about a week after they returned – a week to 10 days -- and now they're coming down." 1/
👆WTF? How could you have been surprised, given that *exactly the same thing* happened in university after university in the US in August & early September. 2/
.@OfficialUoM VC's attempt to shift blame to students: "We gave them the choice. We said: 'Would you prefer to study online or would you like to come back and study face to face?' The vast majority chose the latter." 3/
"We could have communicated better about the need for self-isolation if there are positive cases. ...What we hadn't done I think is communicated well enough the importance of adhering to those regulations." 4/
Note no mention👇of (1) the need to test all frequently to prevent asymptomatic spread & (2) the need to greatly reduce density of halls & eliminate shared bedrooms & bathrooms. 5/
As if better communication of the need to wear face masks & keep 2m apart combined w disinfectant scrubbing was all that was needed to prevent outbreaks in halls! 6/
Given this parade of embarrassments from the VC @OfficialUoM & chair of the @RussellGroup, is it any surprise that @UniversitiesUK are now an international laughing stock?👇 7/7
Hard to rank, but these👇belong on top 5 list of most embarrassing @UniversitiesUK Covid-19 pronouncements:
--Man VC interview👆
--Eastwood's "Charlotte! Why aren't you at your desk?!"
--#2020MADEUS
--@registrarism's @Wonkhe piece
--@UofGCOO's deleted Covid-denialist tweet
Did the UoM VC realise how negatively her interview would be received by university staff & students? Did she nevertheless press ahead to impress a different audience? Who? @GavinWilliamson @michelledonelan @officestudentsm, were you impressed? @RussellGroup VCs?
Manchester Nightingale hospital placed on standby to admit Covid patients, as Deputy Chief Medical Officer warns "that coronavirus was spreading from younger age groups into the over 60s who are more vulnerable".
bbc.co.uk/news/health-54…
Because of @OfficialUoM's VC's puzzling ignorance of what happened in the US & failure to reduce occupany in halls & procure sufficient testing, she has helped drive Manchester to the verge of lockdown & breach of hospital capacity. 1/
...Forcing the city's council & public health officials to choose between letting the outbreaks spread to older & more vulnerable populations or locking down halls. Not surprising they chose the latter👇. 2/
When the VC asked students whether they'd prefer in person👇, did she mention it would be for just the 1st two days of term before the council forced teaching online, & only if you were lucky enough not already to have been locked down in hall by then? 3/3
See Duke Professor of Global Health & Public Policy @GYamey's reaction👇to👆thread. 1/
Here's one of the many reasons why @GYamey's views on this are worth paying attention to: the university where he works, & which he advises, is among the US success stories👇. 2/
Duke's success is down to significant reduction in university housing density & testing of all on arrival & at least weekly thereafter. 3/3
nytimes.com/2020/10/02/us/…
More on Duke's contrasting approach to that of most @UniversitiesUK employers:
According to this from 25 Sept👇, the former Director of Public Health for North-West England "warned that universities should be two-thirds empty in order to prevent massive spikes in coronavirus infections across campuses" 1/
theguardian.com/education/2020…
As this warning was issued before the massive spike in coronavirus infections at @OfficialUoM👇, this is yet one more reason why their VC should not have been caught by surprise. 2/
Here's the former public health director's case for reducing the number of students👇. 3/
Various US universities that @RussellGroup members such as @OfficialUoM regard as their peers took steps to extensively reduce student numbers in housing & on campus. E.g.👇. 4/
sfchronicle.com/bayarea/articl…
In addition to the failure to provide sufficient testing, the failure to reduce occupancy in halls of residence displays a recklessness (or at best negligence) in the approach to re-opening universities in the UK. 5/5
On 1 Sept @bmj_latest published editorial "Covid-19: re-opening universities is high risk"👇, which noted: "Viral transmission between asymptomatic students can occur at lightning speed in these [congregate] settings [of university halls of residence]. 1/
bmj.com/content/370/bm…
Here's a plea to university leaders to read this, which I posted back then👇. 2/
The fact of spread at lightning speed through halls of residence came as no surprise to anyone in public health or who had been paying attention to US university re-openings in August & early Sept. 3/
Why isn't the VC of @OfficialUoM being held to accounts for inexcusable ignorance of what had & would happen in halls of residence & cause misery for students, combined w/ the risible claim that ineffective communication of regulations to students was the problem? 4/
Why, rather than👇, does the VC of @OfficialUofM remain in post & continue to serve as Chair of the @RussellGroup? Why is there no accountability at the top in this country? 5/5
nytimes.com/2020/10/15/nyr…
Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.
A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.