We reported Wednesday that West Virginia University has 140 students who are isolated due to positive COVID-19 results and 472 additional students quarantining because of close contact with COVID positive individuals (DP-09-02-20). This may not seem particularly concerning when looked at in proportion to the student body, but every COVID-19 case opens the door to further community spread.
WVU is a central part of the Morgantown community and the larger Monongalia County community. We appreciate the university publishing numbers on the dashboard. But we’re concerned by the upward trend in positive cases, and even more concerned by the data that isn’t being shared.
So here’s what’s not included that has us worried: According to WVU’s COVID common questions, student athletes are not included in the WVU dashboard count. This is extremely problematic. Students athletes are still students: They still venture out into Morgantown and attend classes with other students (who also then venture out into Morgantown). This is also a specific demographic of students who plan to be in close contact with students from other states. In short: If a student athlete has COVID, that affects the community, and those numbers should be published.
Now, some of those athlete cases may be displayed as part of Mon County’s cases, but some may not. According to a Monongalia County Health Department FAQ, students residing in Morgantown for the school year are included in Mon County numbers. (It’s not entirely clear if non-Morgantown addresses also count, but we’ll assume yes.) So if the athlete has a Morgantown address and they have COVID, it will be reflected in our county’s cases. However, students, faculty and staff who commute aren’t included in Mon County’s numbers.
All COVID-19 positive individuals who work or attend school in Mon County should be included in our case numbers. If there’s a concern about people being double counted (e.g. in their home county and in Mon, or even in another state and in Mon), then create a separate metric. Call it “Commuters to Mon County” and let it keep a running tally of students and workers (including non-university-affiliated workers) who come here regularly and are COVID-19 positive — limit it to active cases if need be. Because those individuals still interact with members of the larger Mon County community.
We understand that keeping track of positive cases and exposures and all the rest is a tremendous amount of work, for the university but especially for the MCHD. But only counting positive COVID cases for students — but not student athletes — or Mon County residents — but not people who work or attend school here — ignores the interconnectedness of our community, particularly in Morgantown. It shows us only fragments when we need to see the whole picture. Because without a full, comprehensive view of COVID-19 in the community, we can’t make informed decisions regarding the safety of things like opening bars or going back to school or allowing fall sports. More than anything, we just want to keep each other safe — and that means having all the information.
