Colleges & Universities: More COVID Cases, Fewer Games

More than 90,000 college students across all 50 states have reported cases of COVID-19. It’s getting worse, especially in the arena of collegiate athletics. At Michigan State University, dozens of students engaged in a variety of university athletics have tested positive. The school reported a positivity rate among its athletic program to be 14%.

Students aren’t the only ones affected. Florida State University’s head coach just last week announced he had tested positive for the coronavirus. In Texas, where football reigns supreme, a Big 12 Conference game between Baylor University and University of Houston was postponed because Baylor failed to meet the Conference’s requirement that it have a minimum of 53 players ready to hit the gridiron.

Meanwhile, in a surprising announcement from the American Academy of Pediatrics, college athletes should have an electrocardiogram, or EKG, even if mild symptoms are present after testing positive for the coronavirus. The AAP also strongly urged that student athletes be referred to a board certified cardiologist for a complete evaluation even if there is no remarkable anomalies present from the EKG test.

The AAP also provided updated for all athletes — including teens and pre-teens — that they should be completely free of any symptoms of COVID-19 for 14 days, and that a physician should provide a written medical clearance before the student returns to any athletic endeavor.

The nation’s leading infection disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, also warned American academic administrations last week not to send infected students home, stating that the students could take the highly transmittable virus with them.