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The University of Miami has seen nearly 100 positive COVID-19 cases after just one week of classes on campus amid the coronavirus pandemic. According to UM president Julio Frenk, who is the former health minister of Mexico, addressed the outbreak in a video statement.
The cause of the outbreak is believed to be dorm room parties, so Frenk is urging students to be responsible and to follow proper safety protocol to avoid an even larger outbreak that could shut down the campus.
“Those whose behavior indicates that they are not honoring their commitment to the community have begun meeting with the consequences of their poor choices,” said Frenk, via Newsweek.
“We have already had to take the unfortunate measures of asking students who are not following public health directives to leave our residence halls, and initiating suspensions when appropriate. We will not hesitate to enforce disciplinary procedures when measures aimed at protecting our students, faculty, and staff are flouted.”
One of the safety measures put into place is requiring everyone on campus to wear a mask or face covering in both indoor and outdoor public spaces.
The coronavirus mainly comes from animals and a majority of those who were infected early either worked at or frequently visited the Huanan seafood wholesale market in Wuhan, according to The Guardian. The virus is similar to Severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (Mers).
The Wuhan coronavirus is transmitted from person to person through “droplet transmission.” That means an infected person can pass the virus by sneezing or coughing on another person as well as by direct contact.
While a majority of the cases have been detected in the United States and China — with more than 5.72 million confirmed cases and 177,000 deaths in the United States — it has now reached many countries around the world. It has also been confirmed in Italy, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and many other eastern countries.
