UNC Wilmington has announced a ‘cluster’ of 7 individuals connected to the school’s swimming & diving team who have tested positive for coronavirus.
As defined by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, a ‘cluster’ is 5 or more cases ‘in close proximity by location’ in the last 14 days.
UNCW says that the individuals involved in the cluster are isolating and receiving medical monitoring and treatments as needed. UNCW is not sharing identities of those who tested positive.
Contact tracing has been launched by the New Hanover County Health Department.
UNCW saw a spike in early September of coronavirus cases, shortly after students returned to campus. Unlike their counterparts in Chapel Hill, UNCW continued to hold in-person classes, with about 13% of classes being held face-to-face, 31% being held in hybrid, and 55% being held online.
UNCW, like the state of North Carolina as a whole, has begun to see a climb in cases over the last week. The school has recorded 84 new cases among students in the last 14 days, plus 1 in a contractor and 1 in faculty & staff. Of those students, 62 lived off campus and 22 lived on campus.
UNCW has not announced a schedule for swimming & diving for the 2020-2021 season, though they have announced an upcoming “virtual meet” against George Washington, Bryant, and Army-West Point with no dates yet.
UNCW this offseason hired alumnus Bobby Guntoro as the program’s new head coach. Guntoro returns to the school from powerhouse NC State, where he oversaw the program’s elite sprint group that was one of the best in the country.
In 2020, UNCW’s men finished second of five teams at the Colonial Athletic Association Championships, while the women were sixth of seven teams. The men have risen over the past several years, from fourth in 2016, 2017, and 2018, to third in 2019 and runners-up this past season. The women have stayed at sixth since 2016, except for a fifth-place effort in 2019.
*yawn*
They’re getting closer to herd immunity. Good times ahead!
Herd immunity can be achieved in two distinct ways; Antibody with sporadic infection AND DEATH.
The tolerant left appears again. Herd immunity is a biological reality my friend. It’s coming whether you like it or not. Virus gonna virus. Good news! This one isn’t the Black Plague. Estimates range from 1-2 per 1000 will die with this virus.
Has the team had to stop practices? Or just the affected individuals? Our university hasn’t spelled out what a cluster on our team would mean, I fear it would likely be shutdown of our practices for a couple of weeks to err on the side of safety.