Help us track and trace Covid outbreaks at U.K. Universities
To monitor the spread of covid at U.K. universities, as the academic year 2020-21 begins, we need your help.
There are hundreds of universities in the U.K., few of them appear to be clearly reporting the situation on their own campuses, and this is a fast-moving situation. Keeping up with this is a major task, and we have a staff of one, who is also trying to complete his PhD.
So we are asking you to alert us to cases of covid on U.K. university campuses.
We especially want links to university statements giving numbers of cases and local media news reports.
You can contact us through our twitter account @UniCovidUK; DMs are open.
You can leave comments on our blog posts and web pages.
You can email us at admin [at] unicovid.uk or securely through unicoviduk [at] protonmail.com
We regret we do not have the resources to follow up on confidential reports. If you know of unreported cases of covid at universities, or are concerned with working conditions, please contact your union.
Thank you for your help and support.
Sunderland is now reporting over 40 cases with students and 4 members of staff: https://twitter.com/UCUNorthern/status/1310597616007286789
Added to News Reports 29 September.
https://unicovid.uk/news-reports/news-reports-29-september-2020/
Thank you very much for your tip.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1117495025315072&id=100011637544396&sfnsn=scwspmo
University of West London
https://www.lboro.ac.uk/internal/news/2020/september/update-from-connect-and-protect/
Thank you.
University of Edinburgh is finally publishing number of cases: : https://www.ed.ac.uk/news/covid-19
University of South Wales confirmed 6 cases on lecture this morning.
Confirmed:
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/education/confirmed-cases-coronavirus-welsh-universities-19019672
Thanks for your contribution!
Just to let you know, Keele UCU put out the following letter today to the VC, with the statement “the confirmation of positive cases registered amongst Keele students” contained in it. I’ve not got any more information than this, unfortunately.
https://www.keeleucu.co.uk/keele-ucu-urges-the-university-to-stop-the-delivery-of-in-situ-teaching/
Added, and thank you!
fyi – for Keele
https://www.keele.ac.uk/coronavirus/cases/
Thanks – added to the list.
https://unicovid.uk/case-trackers/
https://thetab.com/uk/birmingham/2020/10/02/breaking-birmingham-ucu-reports-66-cases-of-coronavirus-at-the-university-of-birmingham-45305
I don’t see anything in terms of news reports, but my partner is a lecturer at the University of Derby and has been contacted by one of his students saying they’ve had a positive test and are now isolating.
Nottingham (Uni of Nottingham) various sources (some unconfirmed tweets):
* article in Guardian describing female student self-isolating https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/sep/25/i-had-a-little-sob-freshers-face-up-to-strict-new-covid-rules
* tweet suggesting two uni sports clubs experiencing several cases (have also heard this via reliable student source, who mentioned another sports club) https://twitter.com/DanC28970359/status/1306550278355902464
* Nottingham Evening Post article https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/nottingham-news/around-20-university-nottingham-students-4558277
* to my certain knowledge some students have not started as they are/have been infected & are self-isolating
* Nottingham Trent, very recent report https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/nottingham-news/nottingham-trent-university-reports-a-4569974
Thanks very much for this. Have added Nottingham Trent to list of universities with confirmed cases.
https://unicovid.uk/universities/england/nottingham-trent/
Had U of Nottingham, who are outright refusing to give any numbers:
https://unicovid.uk/universities/england/university-of-nottingham/
15 Teesside University cases confirmed:
https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/15-covid-19-cases-linked-19036120
Three people have tested positive for Covid-19 according to university statement
https://www.lboro.ac.uk/internal/news/2020/october/update-from-connect-and-protect/
https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/Coronavirus/Covid-19-Active-Case-Statistics.aspx
https://www.lboro.ac.uk/internal/coronavirus/covid-19-cases/
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/education/more-100-cardiff-university-students-19060807
UEA has communicated to students via email that there are currently 35 confirmed positive cases.
royal holloway reports 15 student cases and 1 staff case. https://intranet.royalholloway.ac.uk/staff/news-events/news-articles/2020/october-20/update-on-coronavirus-%E2%80%93-6-october-2020.aspx
Surrey has 6 according to their website.
https://www.surrey.ac.uk/coronavirus
87 ‘live’ cases at Loughborough University currently https://www.lboro.ac.uk/internal/coronavirus/covid-19-cases/
University of Northampton are now reporting cases weekly in the Northamptonshire public health update and on the student hub (not accessible to the public).
Reported in local news this afternoon – 10 cases currently.
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.northantslive.news/news/university-northampton-confirms-coronavirus-cases-4593270.amp
Channel 4 news at 7pm 9th Oct gave stat that 90 educational workers have died from covid this year
Teeside university have sent email to students advising 30 Sept to 7th Oct, 22 new cases with 7 of these on campus.
Bradford University is now reporting cases daily (staff and students), as well as whether or not reported cases had been on campus within 48 hours of symptoms occurring –
https://www.bradford.ac.uk/coronavirus/symptoms/cases/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-54553439
Swansea Uni
Issued: Friday, 16 October 2020
LATEST POSITION
The total of cumulative positive Covid cases among students is now 143 and the current number within the 14-day isolation period is 74. Three of the new cases are within University accommodation that were already in self-isolation.
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/hundreds-swansea-university-students-now-19115598
University of Wales Trinity St David has at least 8, as recorded in the now-daily staff bulletin, but still hasn’t published anything officially.
If anyone would like to forward us the staff bulletin, we’d be very grateful
unicoviduk@protonmail.com
Anonymity assured.
10 students and 4 staff at University of Wales Trinity St David as of Friday October 16th. Covid-19: Number of students isolating quadruples in a week https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-54553439
Another 7 today at UWTSD.
Sheffield Hallam covid tracker shows positive cases that have been reported to them for the past two weeks: https://www.shu.ac.uk/covid-19/covid-statistics
Running overall total (I’ve kept previous week figures) now comes to 24 staff, and 958 students.
Like the other universities in the Guardian article, staff at SHU were advised not to isolate if they had taught students who had later tested positive if you hadn’t come within 2 meters.
University of Lincoln cases double within a week – now at 85. https://thelincolnite.co.uk/2020/10/coronavirus-cases-double-in-a-week-at-university-of-lincoln/
How come the Wales total is still 7 when someone has noted University of Wales Trinity St David cases (including press reports) on the contributions above?
Just added:
https://unicovid.uk/universities/wales/trinity-st-david/
University of Cambridge has 154 positive cases for the week of 12-18 October.
https://www.cam.ac.uk/coronavirus/stay-safe-cambridge-uni/data-from-covid-19-testing-service
Update on Bristol University from local paper / website here (figures higher again – now over 1000).
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/coronavirus-cases-bristol-university-soared-4635706
Wednesday, 29 October 2020 – Swansea University
The cumulative total of students who have tested positive for Covid is 295, with 100 current cases. In the 10 days or so prior to this week, the University had seen the number of current cases remain static, with a low level of increase prior to that 10 days. The period leading into the ‘Firebreak’ does appear to have led to an increase in the overall numbers of cases, but very much in line with the changes seen in the local area. The number of flats self-isolating is now 54. We are seeing a rise in the number of positive student cases off-campus, but this is in line with the position in the community generally and Public Health Wales, Test Trace and Protect and the Swansea Bay University Health Board remain content with the University’s handling of the outbreak and do not believe the student population is driving the local increases.
Swansea University
Tuesday, 3 November
As of today we have 378 cumulative cases of students who have tested positive for Covid, with 119 currently in the quarantine period and 351 students now in self-isolation. There have been a total of 34 staff cases, with 8 still in quarantine.
Good summary re UoBristol here
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/university-bristol-coronavirus-outbreak-everything-4671645