BY: Evan Justice
With the spread of COVID-19 not appearing to slow down anytime soon, many universities in the state of Alabama have taken drastic measures to ensure the safety of its students and staff. To this end, four Alabama universities have decided to create COVID-19 databases of their campuses COVID-19 statistics. These universities are: Auburn University, Jacksonville State University, Troy University and Samford University.
Based on these statistics, which are being updated every week and posted on the official website for each university, Auburn University has seen the greatest number of new cases on its main campus. Within the past week a total of 588 new cases- 577 students and 11 employees- have been documented. Another 11 cases were also reported at the Auburn University Regional Airport. You can find a further analysis of the COVID-19 statistics for Auburn University here.
Troy has seen the second-highest number of newly reported cases, with a total of 123 new cases- 121 students and two employees- being reported within the last week. Of the 121 cases found in students, 80 were found in students that lived off-campus, 18 were found in students living in Trojan Village, and six were found in student living in Newman Hall. You can find further information regarding Troy’s data here.
Samford University has had the third-largest spike in the number of newly reported cases with a total of 90, 88 students and two employees- within the last week. Each week, around 3% of all students and employees will be asked to come in for a random COVID-19 test screening. This random testing is will help Samford determine where their effects should be focused to stop the spread of COVID-19. Random testing results are reflected in the current statistics collected by the university You can find Samford University’s data here.
Jacksonville State University has the least number of new cases of COVID-19 with just 41 cases reported within the past week. Information regarding the status of those who contracted the virus is now available. The rest of JSU’s stats can be found here.
Any additional information regarding COVID-19, including the case statistics in counties surrounding each university, can be found on their website.