Thread by @BryanAlexander

So the CDC has a new study about #highereducation and #COVID19 .

Listen closely.

#thread

First, CDC links pandemic spread with f2f campuses:

"university counties with in-person instruction (n = 79) experienced a 56% increase in incidence, comparing the 21-day periods before and after classes started."

56%!

Second, CDC links teaching online to *lower* pandemic spread:

"U.S. counties with large colleges or universities with remote instruction (n = 22) experienced a 17.9% decrease in incidence"

Third, counties did a bit better wrt COVID if they didn't have a campus there.

"Counties without large colleges or universities (n = 3,009) experienced a 6% decrease in incidence during similar time frames."

Did you hear that?

"In-person instruction at colleges and universities was associated with increased county-level COVID-19 incidence and percentage test positivity."

As I've asked before, what happens to #highered reputation if people see campuses as implementing actions *that spread the pandemic*?

How do we feel about this?

"university counties with in-person instruction experienced a 56% increase in incidence and 30% increase in hotspot occurrence as well as increases in COVID-19-related testing and test percentage positivity."

It wasn't teaching as such, says the CDC, but residential living that seems to be the real problem:

"Congregate living settings at colleges and universities were linked to transmissions "

What does this mean for #highered in 2021?

/thread