From what’s posted on the UF website, transition to online classes is happening but not superfast. In the meantime, students are still staying together in closed quarters, sharing rooms, bathrooms, dining halls, exercise facilities etc. This at the time when some students allegedly could have been exposed:: https://www.alligator.org/news/uf-students-exposed-to-coronavirus-at-pro-israel-conference/article_876a4cb2-61c6-11ea-8b5c-4344bc4818d8.html. Is there a way to convince the administration to close the campus before it is too late and? Potentially, thousands of students may need to be quarantined if this does not happen soon…
That would really be panicking at this point. The basic reproduction number(virus transmission) or RO(known as R-nought) is extremely low here in the US. The virus appears to be much less infectious here than the flu. Besides that college students are not an at risk age demographic for fatality even if they contract the virus. In fact the average age of death from the virus is 80. Another words UF would be more justified and need to shut down the campus due to the flu than from fear of coronavirus.
No, covid19 is more infectious than the flu. Shutting down the campus would not be panicking, but would be proactive in trying to slow the spread in the community.
@amsunshine If you want to pm message we can continue this discussion but to state that coronavirus is more infectious simply isn’t true and certainly not lethal to those of this age demographic. The flu has a higher RO here in the US vs the coronavirus. Be smart but don’t live in fear.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.livescience.com/amp/new-coronavirus-compare-with-flu.html
Covid19 has an RO between 2 and 3. Seasonal flu is much lower. This is fact, not fear.
@amsunshine The RO you are citing is worldwide which factors in Wuhan China. The RO in the USA is significantly lower.
So far in flu season the US has seen 19 million people infected with the flu with over 10,000 deaths. We just went over the 1,000 people being infected across the US with only 31 deaths from coronavirus. All of which have been elderly and/or infirmed.
The total number of cases worldwide for coronavirus is 120,000 with 80,000 in China and 10,000 in Italy.
The numbers are lower here because we’ve had significantly less testing done per capita which is depressing the numbers. There is no evidence that suggests people in the US magically have higher immunity than those in other countries.
Believe what you want the number differences are staggering. You’re worried about shutting down a campus when there is a much bigger threat of both getting and dying from the flu. The numbers for the coronavirus will not even come close to what the flu does. Again, 120,000 WORLDWIDE(virus) vs 19 million for just the US for flu and 10,000 deaths.
I’m worried there are people in the US who still think the flu is a bigger threat than covid19 at this point. UF, like many other campuses are doing here, should go online. There is no immunity to the virus, and we need to be proactive to prevent having our healthcare system overwhelmed as is happening in Italy right now. An ounce of prevention and all that.
I received an email back from uf this morning stating that the March 16 Florida Days is still on. I will call them Friday to confirm as I’m surprised they haven’t cancelled.
@amsunshine Not to be overstated, the flu IS a bigger threat than coronavirus at this point. Again, even IF a student contacted it the mortality rate from it is nil vs what the flu can do. Again be smart, wash hands, cover mouth and don’t touch face or eyes but nothing to fear.
@twinmommy That’s great to hear! Hope you enjoy your campus visit.
Any update on expected date to receive Merit Award notification?
@twinmommy Thanks for the update. We are supposed to go then as well so I hope they don’t cancel.
@moscott I should have specified before, I’m not overly concerned with the mortality rate among typical students, but I’m sure there are students at UF who are immunocompromised or have pre-existing conditions who would be at risk. Aside from that, students don’t live in a vacuum. They have family members. They interact with all types of people in their communities. Professors and staff members could potentially be at risk, as well as their family members. Even if we assume most students at UF may not be at risk of dying, they certainly pose a risk to others in their communities if they become vectors for the virus. It makes no sense to avoid aggressive containment measures for a virus to which we have no immunity, no “covid19” shot, like we have for the flu, etc. I am hopeful UF continues with its preparations to go fully online with classes, as other universities are doing now. They are uniquely positioned to do so, anyway, given they have so many classes delivered online already.
What I really fail to see is why shut down a whole University or even go just online when some of these same schools are failing to vacate their own dorms and cafeterias. If the idea is the avoid or minimize any contact or the spreading of the virus, then you have to go all out. I am looking forward to our admitted day at UF.
@collegeisago I think the schools are doing the best they can with what is an unprecedented situation. Agreed that it is not ideal if students stay in the dorms, but there are some students who can’t go home or would not be able to access the online courses without staying so the universities need to make an effort to accommodate their needs. My D was looking forward to admit day at UF as well. I’m not so sure she will be going now. Admit days for her other schools have all been canceled, unfortunately, and I would be surprised if UF didn’t follow suit.
@amsunshine Yes, they are doing the best they can under the circumstances. But the whole exercise defeats its purpose since a lot of the students are still exposed, especially those in the dorms. and eating in cafeterias. It could potentially become a potential nightmare.
So far, UF has not canceled. Even if they do, it might not be a bad idea to visit the school in order to get a feel for it. If UF is within driving distance and a top choice, it might be a good idea to see it (any school for that matter)
We are OOS and scheduled to go on March 16 but if it’s cancelled and if they still allow self tours we will plan to go since my D have not visited the campus yet and I know we won’t get the same vibe as a tour but at this point my D need to see the campus if at all possible.
@collegeisago True. But at least there is some minimization of persons the students are in contact with.
We are not in driving distance. But at least I think the airlines will not charge a fee if we cancel.