Sun-Five UConn Dormitories Under Quarantine After Case Spike

Coronavirus related news in the area:

Connecticut

University of Connecticut officials have placed five dormitories under quarantine due to a surge in cases of coronavirus that may be associated with large off-campus parties.

Quarantine was imposed on Friday at 4 pm in the dormitories of Eddie, Middlesex, Wyndham, Rogers and Russell on Stords’ main campus. Students in these dormitories are prohibited from attending direct instruction or events throughout the week.

UConn officials reported 20 new on-campus coronavirus cases on Friday after seeing 15 new cases on Thursday. The new infections appeared to be concentrated in the north, northwest, and alumni housing estates.

Last weekend, state police said a party attended by more than 100 people at a house near the campus resulted in two arrests and a quote for one breach. At the beginning of March, 150-200 people gathered at the party about a mile away from the campus, and three committed the breach.

Since the beginning of the semester, 324 students on campus have tested positive for the virus. The current positive test rate is 1.5%.

Massachusetts

Although the number of COVID-19 infections in schools in Massachusetts is increasing, school officials claim that schools are “very safe.”

The report shows 801 new coronavirus cases among students for the week ending Wednesday and 244 among school staff. Together, this is the highest number of the year, a few days before elementary school returns to full-time face-to-face learning on Monday.

However, the rate of increase between students and staff does not mean that schools are the place where the disease is transmitted: cases are also skyrocketing in the general public.

Russell Johnston, Senior Vice-Chairman of the Massachusetts Elementary and Secondary Education Bureau, told Boston Grove that the transmission of coronavirus among children in public schools was primarily out of the classroom, at family events and after school. He said it was happening in activities, sports games.

“The increase in the number of schools does not mean that schools are unsafe. In fact, schools are very safe,” he said.

Maine

As more and more elderly Maine are vaccinated, the proliferation of infectious diseases is caused by people under the age of 30.

According to Portland Press Herald, despite the fact that vaccination campaigns have reached about one-third of the state’s population, the number of cases is increasing in Maine and the average age of infected people is young and distorted. ..

The age distribution of cases changed dramatically over the course of a year. As of March 31, 2020, people under the age of 30 accounted for only 11.7% of all cases in Maine. After a year, they account for 18.2% of all cases.

Dr. Nirab Shah, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Maine, said expanding immunization would help. The state makes the COVID-19 vaccine available to all people over the age of 16 on Wednesday.

“We talk a lot about the light at the end of the tunnel. Vaccines are our vehicle out of the tunnel,” he tweeted.

New Hampshire

The University of New Hampshire will be hosting two COVID-19 vaccination clinics this week for students, staff, and faculty members in the state.

The clinic will be held Thursday and Friday at the Whitmore Center in Durham. Participants will receive the first dose of the vaccine, Portsmas Herald reported. Those who have already received the first shot, as well as students, staff, and faculty members living outside the state are excluded.

“We continue to defend all UNH community members, but at this time we can only vaccinate residents of New Hampshire,” said UNH Police Chief Paul Dean and School Health and Wellness Director Peter Degnan. I am.

Those who belong to the school’s Manchester campus and Franklin Pierce Law School in Concord are also eligible to be vaccinated in Durham.

Rhode Island

The football game against New Hampshire on Rhode Island has been postponed due to COVID-19.

The game, hosted by Rhode Island, was to take place in Kingston on Saturday, but officials said there was a COVID-19 outbreak that affected the New Hampshire program.

The decision to reschedule the game will be made at a later date. Rhode Island will play main on April 10th.

Vermont

Vermont has set up a special clinic in remote Essex County to increase the number of people vaccinated against COVID-19 at the lowest vaccination rates in the state.

Human Services Secretary Mike Smith says people need to be vaccinated from Essex County, which borders the Canadian border and the Connecticut River border with New Hampshire, along the northeastern corner of the state. ..

The state plans to send mobile clinics to nine separate locations within the county on April 10th and 11th. By Saturday people will be able to book online, especially for Essex County.

In addition, the state is in talks with a New Hampshire healthcare provider just above the state border to vaccinate Vermonters.