Thread by @DrEricDing

UNIVERSITY OUTBREAKS—In all 3 UK universities studied, #COVID19 cases increased amongst students shortly after term began—number of outbreaks identified. Following increased tests, use of remote learning & self-isolation by students—cases quickly dropped.
cogconsortium.uk/investigating-…

2) In general, the outbreaks were observed to start from multiple introductions of the virus, with infections thought to originate from both students’ home residence communities and also the local communities in which the universities are found.

3) “Most outbreaks appeared to grow by student to student transmission of a subset of the initial infections. In Cambridge and Portsmouth, systematic testing allowed **asymptomatic spread** between students to be tracked and was **found to play a role in outbreak growth**. ⚠️

4) “There was some evidence consistent with onward transmission to local communities. Portsmouth in particular, found that infection rates amongst students were considerably lower than age-matched cases in the surrounding community.”

5) “At Cambridge, the largest cluster was examined in detail to understand how the spread had occurred. This cluster was found to include multiple colleges (which act both as accommodation and social hubs), multiple year groups and multiple courses.

6) “Stratification by year of study showed that first year students were by far the most likely to contract and spread the virus, with students in higher years and postgraduates remaining less affected.

7) “The investigation at Glasgow, led by the Health Protection Team at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and Public Health Scotland in a collaboration with MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research where sequencing was performed, presents an informative comparison.

8) “This outbreak was contained to off-campus accommodation, primarily student residential halls, highlighting the importance of considering the household, social, and academic context of the student population when assessing transmission risks and implementing control measures.”

9) While kids 5-12 have highest positivity, just behind that age group was college age group of 18-24. Naturally.

https://twitter.com/drericding/status/1367448762025672704