Case of UK COVID-19 variant reported on UCF’s campus
TURNING NOW BACK TO THE PANDEMIC, COVID-19 CAN BE DETECTED IN HUMAN WASTE FOR UP TWO WEEKS AFTER SOMEONE HAS HAD THE VIRUS, SO RESEARCHERS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA ARE TAKING THAT FACT TO THE LAB TO MONITOR THE CORONAVIRUS’S SPREAD ON CAMPUS WEARING MASKS, GETTING TESTED, CHECKING THE WASTEWATER. YES, THIS SEMESTER, EXAMINING SEWAGE FOR TRACES OF COVID-19 IS PART OF UCF’S PANDEMIC RESPONSE. >> IF WE CAN DO EVERYTHING WE CAN AT UCF TO KEEP THE VIRUS SPREAD DOWN. MATT: DR. MELANIE BEAZLEY IS AN ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF CHEMISTRY. SHE’S LEADING STUDENTS IN RESEARCH THAT COULD HELP THEM LEARN AND HELP KEEP LEARNING ON CAMPUS AN OPTION. INSTEAD OF ALL VIRTUAL. >> I’M REALLY HOPING BETWEEN NOW AND SAY THE END OF THE SEMESTER WE SEE THIS HAS DONE VERY WELL AND WE HAVE HELPED TO STOP ANY MAJOR OCCURRENCES ON CAMPUS. MATT: ONCE A WEEK, WASTE WAT SAMPLES ARE COLLECTED FROM FIVE DORM BUILDINGS. >> WE DON’T GO DOWN INTO THE MAINS, WE JUST PUMP IT UP USING TUBES. WE RUN IT USING THE CDC METHODOLOGY THEY USE FOR TESTING FOR COVID IN PATIENTS. MATT: THE SAMPLES OBVIOUSLY DON’T TRACE BACK TO SPECIFIC PEOPLE OR EVEN ROOMS. BUT WILL HELP UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATORS MONITOR WHETHER THE VIRUS’ PRESENCE IS INCREASING OR DECREASING AMO THE ON CAMPUS POPULATION. >> IT’S ALSO AN EXAMPLE HOW OUR ENVIRONMENT IS VERY IMPROTANT TO — IMPORTANT TO OUR OVERALL HEALTH. MATT: UCF ALREADY HAD THE MEANS TO CONDUCT THE TESTING, AND STUDENTS HAVE BEEN DOING SIMILAR LABS LOOKING FOR OTHER ORGANISMS OVER THE YEARS. THIS PROJECT THOUGH, BEAZELY SAYS, COULD HELP GUIDE FUTUR PRACTICES IN GUARDING AGAINST OTHER ILLNESSES. >> THE TECHNOLOGY THAT WE HAVE HAS INCREASED SUCH THAT WE CAN QUICKLY PUT IN PLACE THESE KINDS OF TESTING MECHANISMS. MATT: THE PUMPS COLLECTING THE WASTEWATER TAKE MULTIPLE SAMPLES OVER A FULL DAY FOR ACCURACY, AND THE TESTING TYPICALLY TAKES BETWEEN A DAY OR TWO
Case of UK COVID-19 variant reported on UCF’s campus
Updated: 9:13 PM EST Feb 11, 2021
The University of Central Florida announced there has been a report of the U.K. COVID-19 variant on campus.UCF posted on their official Twitter page that they currently have a report of one student case.The university has enacted its contact tracing and isolation processes and is asking people to “double down and armor up” as a reminder to follow safety protocols and wear a mask.
The University of Central Florida announced there has been a report of the U.K. COVID-19 variant on campus.
UCF posted on their official Twitter page that they currently have a report of one student case.
The university has enacted its contact tracing and isolation processes and is asking people to “double down and armor up” as a reminder to follow safety protocols and wear a mask.
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