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University of Louisville Suspends Swimming Training after Coronavirus Positives

The University of Louisville halted all men’s and women’s swimming & diving voluntary activities at the Ralph Wright Natatorium for 2 weeks on Saturday. This came after 3 members of the program tested positive for coronavirus.

“All proper procedures and protocols are being followed, including the quarantining of those impacted,” the release said. “We look forward to a resumption of swimming activities soon.”

Undergraduates are due back on campus at Louisville to begin classes on August 17. The school has announced a hybrid plan with in-person classes continuing until the day before Thanksgiving, moving fully online for final exams after the Thanksgiving break. Many classes will be a combination of virtual and in-person learning.

Louisville was one of the first college swim teams to return to the water for voluntary activities in early June. At the time, there were 13 swimmers and 2 divers as part of the group. The school currently has 27 members of the swimming & diving program (men and women combined) on campus.

Swimming & diving was one of four sports that were allowed to return under the school’s first phase, in part because it was easy to isolate the swimmers and divers in the natatorium away from other groups returning to campus.

Under NCAA rules, student-athletes are allowed to participate in voluntary conditioning activities without coaches (other than for safety purposes). In swimming, the line between “conditioning work” and “skills training” is a very thin one, meaning that workouts look essentially like a normal workout, but without coaches.

Last week, we reported that multiple members of the Texas A&M swimming & diving program had also tested positive for coronavirus. Unlike Louisville, Texas A&M athletics staff would not reveal the number of positive tests.

Louisville has not reported as many positive cases in their returning programs as have other schools, though a “support” staff member for the football team did test positive in late May, prior to returning to campus.

The state of Kentucky saw its highest-recorded single day run of new cases, reporting 979 on Sunday, but even with that spike, the state has relatively-few cases. With just over 23,000 confirmed cases among a population of 4-and-a-half million, Kentucky ranks 10th-best in terms of fewest cases-per-million. Their 691 deaths caused by COVID-19, however, does not stack up as well against other states, though they have not seen a rise in deaths along with their rise in new positive tests over the last 2 weeks.

Jefferson County, where Louisville is located, has seen more cases than anywhere else, with 5,170 recorded so far. It is, however, the state’s largest county, and its rate-per-capita of positive tests is in-line with other parts of the state.

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Hiswimcoach
4 years ago
HISWIMCOACH
Reply to  Hiswimcoach
4 years ago

Thanks Hulk! Appreciate the feedback. I didn’t say anything other than pointing out readily accessible information.

I fully think we should give treatment to anyone who needs it. Just pointing out what drives up numbers in some areas.

John
4 years ago

man, I think the olympics will get cancelled because that virus cannot be controlled for another while….

HulkSwim
Reply to  John
4 years ago

Or, since the majority of the globe seems to be on pace to get this thing under control, they just carry on without us, and Brazil, and Russia… (quite the crew to get lumped in with, btw).

Tom
Reply to  HulkSwim
4 years ago

but if one of the three mentioned (US, Brazil or Russia) says no to the olympics because their athletes were not able to prepare for the olympics the whole world nowadays has to say no to the olympics out of solidarity.

Momof2
4 years ago

I want to hear more about Indiana. Spill the tea please. Tea meaning info on their covid situation.

ANON
4 years ago

Of course Louisville is the first ACC team to open their facilities and get back in the water in the midst of a global pandemic.

Replier
4 years ago

Scarrwy Virwus!

Bubbles
Reply to  Replier
4 years ago

So business have figured out how to develop, execute and follow an Infectious Disease program to keep employees safe and stay open……………..why is it so hard for schools to ask a successful business for guidance so they can do the same?

dmswim
Reply to  Bubbles
4 years ago

Have you ever tried to stop college kids from touching each other?

Corn Pop
Reply to  dmswim
4 years ago

Just tell them it is Universal & Inclusive Segregation for all.

Formerswimmom
Reply to  dmswim
4 years ago

Or gathering in small groups in confined spaces…or going to classes?

Blackflag82
Reply to  Formerswimmom
4 years ago

to be fair, getting college kids to not go to classes is actually a fairly easy endeavor.

concerned
Reply to  Replier
4 years ago

9-11 killed ~3k people. COVID has killed 143k in the US. By death toll alone, 9-11 would have had to have happened 47 times over the last four months to match COVID. Plus the side affects can be completely debilitating.

Ladyvoldisser
Reply to  concerned
4 years ago

Of the 143k in the US the vast majority were OVER 80 yo!!!!!

Irish Ringer
Reply to  Braden Keith
4 years ago

I guess it would depend on what is meant by the vast majority and how many in that 75-84 age group are 80+. To me a vast majority is 75% or more, but not sure there’s a hard and fast measure. At best we could be looking at a simple majority between 50-60% over the age of 80 with a vast majority of those over 50.

DrSwimPhil
Reply to  Irish Ringer
4 years ago

Which, if correct, would put it at over the life expectancy of the USA.

Corn Pop
Reply to  Irish Ringer
4 years ago

Someone recently made it onto the Australian list at 100 which means they survived the 1919-20 Epidemic . That is going to have to be one excellent epitaph !

Joe
Reply to  Braden Keith
4 years ago

Braden.- 60% are 75+ according to the data you linked to.

Interesting
Reply to  concerned
4 years ago

Does that include the guy killed on his motorcycle in Florida?

HISWIMCOACH
Reply to  Interesting
4 years ago

Or the 5 dead from Covid (as well as gunshot wounds) in Washington state?

NM Coach
Reply to  Interesting
4 years ago

Or the guy attacked by a shark?

Justin Thompson
Reply to  concerned
4 years ago

Playing devil’s advocate. If Covid isn’t comparable to the flu, another virus, then would stand to reason that 9-11 isn’t a good anology as the 3000 you talk about didn’t die due to catching a virus. If anything the survivors had illnesses several years later, but not many similarities here.

Irish Ringer
Reply to  Replier
4 years ago

Nothing like it in my lifetime when you look at the numbers and the impact. Almost 3.9 million infected in the US with new cases at an all-time high, which in itself isn’t an outlier as we had roughly 11-21% of the global population infected with the swine flu in 2009. What is cause for concern is fatality rate. In the Spring the fatality rate was 7-8% in the US and now it’s down to 3.6%. Again, not great, but the trend is going down as we see the infection rate being the highest in the under 35 age group with the recent spikes in the US.

This virus has been hard to read in the US because testing hasn’t… Read more »

HISWIMCOACH
Reply to  Irish Ringer
4 years ago

Irish ringer, by contrast H1N1 had a total of 77,000 tests. We’ve done 800,000+ on some days for Covid. If we tested that much for swine flu something tells me there would have been a lot more swine flu deaths. I wonder what changed for Fauci with this pandemic versus when he served during the previous administration?

Theswammer
Reply to  HISWIMCOACH
4 years ago

So you believe those stats for H1N1 but always argue the current ones with COVID? What’s to say those 77,000 for H1N1 weren’t faked in some way? If they did test 800,000+ a day, then you’d move the goalposts to say H1N1 wasn’t as deadly.

Constantly moving goalposts for an agenda seems to be a specialty of yours.

HISWIMCOACH
Reply to  Theswammer
4 years ago

You’re making things up. I merely brought up the difference in approaches to H1N1 and Covid.

H1N1 deaths were an estimate since they didn’t do mass testing. Not sure how I could move the goalposts on a hypothetical past event that never happened (800,000 H1N1 tests 11 years ago) but I do like how you’ve now taken the phrase “moved the goalposts”.

I just find it funny that you won’t even accept one skeptical piece of information. Sounds like a “scientific” approach on your part.

Irish Ringer
Reply to  HISWIMCOACH
4 years ago

@HISWIMCOACH
I do agree, as we conduct more tests we are bound to see more infections. I didn’t know that with H1N1 we only tested 77,000, but would stand to reason we would have seen different results if we tested at the same level as Covid. Thanks for sharing.

HISWIMCOACH
Reply to  Irish Ringer
4 years ago

Source:
https://www.questdiagnostics.com/dms/Documents/Other/H1N1HealthTrendsReport10_20_09.pdf

FYI, it was estimated that there were 60 million infected in the US from H1N1.

swimapologist
Reply to  HISWIMCOACH
4 years ago

Is this your new bone? H1N1 comparisons? You’re fickle like the wind.

Ok, cool, so H1N1 had 60 million infections and still fewer deaths than we’ve had with coronavirus at probably 20-25 million actual infections. So then we agree that the novel coronavirus is way more dangerous than H1N1?

Ol' Longhorn
Reply to  swimapologist
4 years ago

And it’s apples to oranges: no lockdowns/stay at home orders, social distancing, closures of businesses, no visitor hospital policies, masks for H1N1. There’s literally no basis for comparison to any infectious disease we’ve had in the U.S. The measures taken now are unprecedented.

Swimmom
Reply to  HISWIMCOACH
4 years ago

Testing in and of itself doesn’t lead to deaths.

SwimFan49
Reply to  Irish Ringer
4 years ago

Please link to a real report (e.g., not a Facebook post that refers to someone’s friend who works at some hospital) that shows some basis for the contention that hospitals are falsely reporting, or even incentivized to report, COVID to get additional funding. Seriously. I want to read about real cases where hospital administration/staff are committing fraud/violations of the False Claim Act (i.e. felonies).

HISWIMCOACH
Reply to  SwimFan49
4 years ago

American Hospital Association:
https://www.aha.org/advisory/2020-04-16-coronavirus-update-cms-releases-guidance-implementing-cares-act-provisions

Doesn’t prove it’s happening but does prove financial incentive to have more C19 cases

Ol' Longhorn
Reply to  HISWIMCOACH
4 years ago

You obviously don’t understand how much financial ruin COVID-19 has caused hospitals (or actually much else about COVID). The CARES Act doesn’t come remotely close to covering the losses. They’re testing because practically everyone coming to the hospital in hot areas like Houston, Miami have it, and you need to triage to dedicated units for the positive patients and surge plan. Why don’t you take a vacation to Miami and mingle with a crowd? No ICU beds there, but you’ll be fine.

Also MD Also Swimdad
Reply to  HISWIMCOACH
4 years ago

The notion that leaders in the healthcare realm would perpetuate COVID-19 fears for financial gain is risible. COVID admission dollars and federal subsidies, etc do not come close to matching the loss of revenue related to the uninfected curtailing healthcare consumption in this environment. The very best outcome for hospitals’ finances would be for the pandemic to end today.

The readers can decide if they should put more stock in my perspective on this as a physician working in a hospital, or yours as a swim coach.

Sid Frisco
Reply to  Also MD Also Swimdad
4 years ago

On the economic front that makes sense. However if you could refrain from future use of the word ‘risible’ that would be great. I had to look it up. Now, that being said, it would be foolish to outright discount fraud.

Also MD Also Swimdad
Reply to  Sid Frisco
4 years ago

That’s great! Both you and HISWIMCOACH learned something

Neature
Reply to  HISWIMCOACH
4 years ago

Hospitals make most of their money through elective surgeries. If anything there would be a financial incentive to underreport COVID cases since elective surgeries were effectively cancelled countrywide for months.

HISWIMCOACH
Reply to  Neature
4 years ago

You’re right. And they were told they couldn’t do elective procedures for a long time. And even now, some people are afraid to go to hospitals.

highswimcoach
4 years ago

850 new cases in one day! Stay safe Kentucky

Less backstroke
4 years ago

If the teams can’t accept that some members will test positive at some point and be able to continue training with all non-positive members they should just scrap the season all together because it’s inevitable that some team members are going to test positive at some point.

Theswammer
Reply to  Less backstroke
4 years ago

But how do you know who isn’t positive? Tests are taking anywhere from 3 days to 2 weeks to return results. The few swimmers that tested positive here could have easily spread it to another swimmer in the time period between being tested and getting results.

You don’t take the risk of just continuing everything else when it could still be spreading throughout the team. Stop it all for a couple of weeks, reset, go back.

Doconc
Reply to  Theswammer
4 years ago

Tests take 15 min to 24 hours for results. Mine was 24 hours. 2 weeks is silly

DLswim
Reply to  Doconc
4 years ago

In some places the results take a long time. In others not so much.

pepsimarlins
Reply to  DLswim
4 years ago

DOCONC is a doctor. He works at a hospital. So, their tests get run first.

DOCONC also seems to lack empathy, based on his posts in general. So, he has trouble processing that his experience as someone who works at a hospital might not be the same as everyone else.

Doconc
Reply to  pepsimarlins
4 years ago

U seem to presume much u don’t know

Family tests done like everyone else. 24 hrs

A patient who needs it gets a result in 2-3 hours

2 weeks for a result is a fabrication

Parent in contra costa
Reply to  Doconc
4 years ago

Not true. In where I live, Contra Costa County, On 7/8/2020 I was trying to get my son tested.
Tried to schedule an appointment here:
https://www.coronavirus.cchealth.org/get-tested
(drive up testing is available in contra costa county, but not without an appointment)
First available appointment was 7/14/2020. I had to keep refreshing the page, and over time finally a same day appointment became available. He got swabbed on 7/8/2020 at the Concord Testing site.

When I went there, they told me it usually takes them 5-6 days to get a result, but because of the high volume of tests it will take 9-10 days.

So far I have gotten one text message… Read more »

Doconc
Reply to  Parent in contra costa
4 years ago

California. Nuff said

swimmom
Reply to  Doconc
4 years ago

It’s not a fabrication. Our health department and labs are overwhelmed. A friend waited 15 days for his positive result.
https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/local/coronavirus/2020/07/19/knox-county-test-results-delay-contact-tracing/5460324002/

OhioSwimmer
Reply to  Doconc
4 years ago

A co-worker in Ohio took a test in her doctor’s office 7/7. Still no results as of 7/20, so the Lorain County Board of Health cleared her anyway, regardless of the test results coming back, because she had quarantined herself the 14 days while waiting for for results that never came. No contact tracing either.

sven
Reply to  Doconc
4 years ago

My sister had a test recently and the results took five days. Maybe they can theoretically be done in 15 minutes but I don’t know anyone who got results in under 24 hours.

Justin Thompson
Reply to  sven
4 years ago

UFC has a pretty good system of testing down for an event.

Greg
Reply to  sven
4 years ago

30 hrs for saliva based results out here in AZ. I know of others in AZ that took 5-6 days for non saliva based.

DIIIer
Reply to  Doconc
4 years ago

I run an essential business. My tests are averaging 8 days.

NM Coach
Reply to  Doconc
4 years ago

DOCONC – In NM…test results are now taking 10 to 14 BUSINESS DAYS!!! We had one athlete get their results 18 days after testing! In ABQ, you will sit in your car (at Balloon Fiesta Park) waiting a MINIMUM of 5 hours to get tested…and that’s if you are in line by 5 am! They open up testing at 7am! If you come at 7am, you will wait 8 to 9 hours! And this was someone that tested last week!!!!

15 minutes to 24 hours would be AWESOME…not realistic in NM!

Doconc
Reply to  NM Coach
4 years ago

That’s a shame. Bad governor. Ohio has testing everywhere. I get pts tests in 2-3 hrs before surgery if needed
My kids got results 48 hours from exposure
Much quicker here

swimmomfl
Reply to  Doconc
4 years ago

Sorry doccondescending, but my daughter had surgery in Ohio not long ago and they required her to be present 72 hours prior to do the test to ensure the results would be back. Why would you test within 48 hours of exposure anyway, the viral load doesn’t kick up that fast – recommendations are 5-7 days post known exposure or once symptoms appear. Just because your slice of Ohio is supposedly doing it a certain way doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of people facing large time lags in test results.

Doconc
Reply to  swimmomfl
4 years ago

Glad u arent making decisions for pts

Testing is done preop within 96 hrs so YOU don’t bring unrecognized virus to Hospitals

U don’t have elective surgery if u are symptomatic

moddiddle
Reply to  Less backstroke
4 years ago

Don’t certain teams live together? They should just do that.

Sam
Reply to  Less backstroke
4 years ago

“it’s inevitable that some team members are going to test positive at some point” yeah, in the US. Not in the rest of the World where they dealt with the virus

FlyBackaway
Reply to  Less backstroke
4 years ago

Yes, not ideal but having any kind of season (stop and go) is better than none at all.

swimfan210_
Reply to  Less backstroke
4 years ago

What I’ve noticed during this pandemic is that when we fear that something will get cancelled often it does. That went from NCAAs to Olympics in 2020 to the summer season in the US (for the most part). At this rate, it pretty much looks like the NCAA season won’t really be able to happen. Honestly, unless the virus is practically entirely contained, I think they should just cancel the season and give them another one in return. I’d rather be on the safe side than risk having to do it all again, so I think we need to be really patient with reopening and wait until cases are extremely low. Downvote me all you like people.

concerned
Reply to  Less backstroke
4 years ago

I love this sport more than anything, and I’m heartbroken that COVID has likely ended my career, but the reports of what it has done and is doing to young people is terrifying. The thought of any of my teammates having strokes, seizures, or even dying due to this virus is incomprehensible; I would much rather scrap the season than even risk having that happen.

Ladyvoldisser
Reply to  concerned
4 years ago

Where is the SCIENTIFIC DATA which supports that healthy college age athletes are at risk of strokes, seizures or dying due to this virus?

ArtVanDeLegh10
Reply to  Ladyvoldisser
4 years ago

Everyone is at risk but the bigger issue is when a healthy college aged kid gets it and then spends time with his/her parents/grandparents or has contact with someone that has a weakened immune system.

It’s not just about the college kids. It’s much bigger than that.

Ken Akoi
Reply to  ArtVanDeLegh10
4 years ago

The only time college swimmers are going to spend time with parents/grandparents is if they come to a meet or at Thanksgiving. Social distance during meets. Trying to keep swimmers safe is like trying to keep your teenager safe when they drive. The opportunity for someone to die from Covid is lower than dieing in a car crash. Oh and another thing – since when do the doctors know everything? Since when has the NCAA served the best interest of the student athlete?

Greg
Reply to  Ken Akoi
4 years ago

Ken – I’m not sure what data set you utilize to come to the conclusion that the opportunity for someone to die from Covid is lower than dying in a car crash; however, if you compare total fatalities, Covid-19 has resulted in more deaths in the USA.

https://www-fars.nhtsa.dot.gov/Main/index.aspx

If we look at global numbers, death by auto does indeed surpass current Covid deaths.

https://www.asirt.org/safe-travel/road-safety-facts/

Death rate per 100,000 population is higher with auto; however, one has to consider total driving opportunities or miles. When comparing by miles or opportunities, Covid becomes more dangerous.

The above links are comparing 12 months versus 8 months. A more accurate comparison can be made in four months.

HISWIMCOACH
Reply to  Ladyvoldisser
4 years ago

Anecdotal evidence only ladyvoldisser.

But it’s not the flu!!
https://t.co/MEt0FhA28w?amp=1
https://mobile.twitter.com/AlexBerenson/status/1285185274608324608

Theswammer
Reply to  HISWIMCOACH
4 years ago

But it’s not the flu. Literally is not the flu. But yeah let’s keep acting like this doesn’t exist so when flu season gets here, we do cancel events and do get sent back home from work, school etc.

We consistently, as a country, act as if this doesn’t exist which leads to all these things happening(or not happening in this scenario)

swimmomfl
Reply to  Ladyvoldisser
4 years ago

Given the plethora of pulmonary embolisms and now advancing numbness, weakness, and muscle stiffening in her extremities currently being experienced by my 22yo former d1 swimmer, I would say it is safe to assume everyone is at risk for anything with this virus. “At risk” doesn’t mean it WiLL happen, but if you think it cannot, you are just not in touch with the reality of what is happening right now.

swimx2
Reply to  swimmomfl
4 years ago

SWIMMOMFL, I’m so sorry your daughter is experiencing this, we know of another college swimmer having long term effects as well, it’s very scary. I’m so tired of hearing “it’s just the flu”… Wishing your daughter a full recovery!

swimmomfl
Reply to  swimx2
4 years ago

Thank you swimx2… hope the swimmer you speak of is getting good care. I’d love to put them in touch with each other as this is an awful, scary, lonely experience for her.

Sid Frisco
Reply to  Less backstroke
4 years ago

Yahtzee!

About Braden Keith

Braden Keith

Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. Aside from his life on the InterWet, …

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