On its first day of classes, the University of Missouri announced that 159 of its students have Covid-19.
MU released numbers of active cases among students on a new online dashboard. The data comes from Boone County — not the university, which requires students, faculty and staff to report positive tests.
According to the dashboard, 168 students have tested positive for Covid-19 since Aug. 19, though the website lists a “-9” for the weekly change in its case count. Data released only accounts for students, not faculty or staff.
That data is also “incomplete,” according to the dashboard, “because students, staff and faculty can seek testing from a variety of medical providers in and outside of the county.”
The dashboard will be updated every Wednesday.
A potential decision to move additional classes online, close campus or otherwise modify MU’s response to Covid-19 will consider factors like the number of cases on campus and in Boone County, as well as the availability of hospital beds and personal protective equipment.
The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill moved to an all-online format after a week of classes and 177 cases among its students. The University of Notre Dame shifted to online classes after 146 cases.
_Edited by Caitlin Danborn | cdanborn@themaneater.com_