Earlier today, I was contacted with a report of an outbreak at a university.

I replied, saying I would post about it later today.

The correspondent then replied that I should not, that the report was fictional, and that they were checking my level of validation.

I was certainly wrong to reply so affirmatively, given that there were details that could have been checked, and other warning signs that this was not a valid report.

This site is basically a part-time and one-person operation, and (current) enthusiasm aside, I have neither the time, resources nor the necessary skills and contacts to follow up reports.

If you know of an unreported outbreak, or are concerned about working conditions, in your university. contact your union!

I have no complaints about being tested in this way, nor of being caught out. Certainly, I’m thankful that the test was revealed before I blundered into posting, and that it happened so soon in the development of this site.

For the record, of the personal reports I noted yesterday, three have since been validated by journalists, and none have (yet) been refuted. And this site will continue to monitor publicly reported outbreaks of covid at U.K. universities.

I say again, please, if you know of an unreported outbreak, or are concerned about working conditions, in your university. contact your union!