By Sheila Mckenzie-
British Universities are now at the centre of the latest Covid-19 scare, after a leading epidemiologist warned that the Uk is at a “critical moment” in the coronavirus pandemic, as students prepare to return to universities.
Universities all over the Uk are preparing to commence classes in the middle of September, but already the alarm bells of potentially high transmission rates are being sounded before students settle down. Many students have already settled in their accommodation and halls of residence, but having to deal with the concern of transmission rates being hyped up by various experts.
It follows a recent publication in the Times that most confirmed coronavirus cases are now in younger people, with two thirds of confirmed infections in the under-40s . Numbers in older people have fallen sharply.
However, after the stress of the recent A levels fiasco, conjectures about transmission rates of Covid-19 is the last thing students want to hear.
Dame Anne Johnson, of University College London, stressed the issue of infections after government scientific advisors said “significant outbreaks” linked to universities were likely.
Highest Infections
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Dame Anne, professor of infectious disease epidemiology at UCL, said: “We are now seeing the highest number of infections or at least detected infections in younger people aged 20 to 29 and also going up to 45-year-olds.”
She added that the data was “not surprising”, as young people, she said, were more likely to have socialised with friends and family after lockdown restrictions were eased. The latest figures from Public Health England (PHE) showed the highest coronavirus case rates were among 15 to 44-year-olds.
In the regions with the highest overall rates, and with most local authorities on its local lockdown watchlist, young working adults aged between 20 and 29-years-old were most affected.
Significant Risk
Meanwhile, the government’s scientific advisory group, Sage, said in a document published on Friday that there was a “significant risk” that higher education “could amplify local and national transmission”.
“It is highly likely that there will be significant outbreaks associated with higher education, and asymptomatic transmission may make these harder to detect,” the report added.
Council leader Judith Blake said there had been an increase in music events, house parties and illegal raves, adding fines of £10,000 were being issued, and urged caution at a time when university students were set to return.
“We feel there is a bit of a complacency coming in. What we are seeing is the numbers are changing, and actually more young people are testing positive and they are spread around the city,” she said.
Dame Anne told the Today programme it was “going to be incredibly important to communicate to young people the risks of transmitting coronavirus”, with particular emphasis on maintaining social distancing.
She said it should be highlighted “that we need to avoid those situations where we have a lot of close contact, keep distanced”.
“When we can’t do that wear face coverings, wash hands, and isolate when we’re sick,” she said.
Dame Anne also highlighted the importance of infection control among vulnerable communities, particularly in care homes and hospitals.
Online Teaching
Universities plan to employ strategies including online teaching, grouping students together within year groups, and putting in place local testing and tracing policies, he said.
The scientific advisory group Sage has advised universities to consider providing dedicated accommodation facilities to enable students who test positive to quarantine and minimise the risk of an outbreak.
Universities have also been urged to work with local authorities in addition to conducting their own test and trace programmes.