Implementation and effectiveness of a COVID-19 case investigation and contact tracing program at a large, urban midwestern university.

BACKGROUND: The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) COVID-19 Contact Tracing and Epidemiology Program was critical to the university's COVID-19 incident response during the 2020-2021 academic year. We are a team of epidemiologists and student contact tracers who perform COVID-19 contact tracing among campus members. Literature is sparse on models for mobilizing non-clinical students as contact tracers; therefore, we aim to disseminate strategies that are adaptable by other institutions. METHODS: We described essential aspects of our program including surveillance testing, staffing and training models, interdepartmental partnerships, and workflows. Additionally, we analyzed the epidemiology of COVID-19 at UIC and measures of contact tracing effectiveness. RESULTS: The program was responsible for promptly quarantining 120 cases prior to converting and potentially infecting others, thereby preventing at least 132 downstream exposures and 22 COVID-19 infections from occurring. DISCUSSION: Features central to program success included routine data translation and dissemination and utilizing students as indigenous campus contact tracers. Major operational challenges included high staff turnover and adjusting to rapidly evolving public health guidance. CONCLUSIONS: Institutes of higher education provide fertile ground for effective contact tracing, particularly when comprehensive networks of partners facilitate compliance with institution-specific public health requirements.

High rates of observed face mask use at Colorado universities align with students' opinions about masking and support the safety and viability of in-person higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, colleges and universities have focused on creating policies, such as mask mandates, to minimize COVID-19 transmission both on their campuses and in the surrounding community. Adherence to and opinions about these policies remain largely unknown. METHODS: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) developed a cross-sectional study, the Mask Adherence and Surveillance at Colleges and Universities Project (MASCUP!), to objectively and inconspicuously measure rates of mask use at institutes of higher education via direct observation. From February 15 through April 11, 2021 the University of Colorado Boulder (CU, n = 2,808 observations) and Colorado State University Fort Collins (CSU, n = 3,225 observations) participated in MASCUP! along with 52 other institutes of higher education (n = 100,353 observations) spanning 21 states and the District of Columbia. Mask use was mandatory at both Colorado universities and student surveys were administered to assess student beliefs and attitudes. RESULTS: We found that 91.7%, 93.4%, and 90.8% of persons observed at indoor locations on campus wore a mask correctly at University of Colorado, Colorado State University, and across the 52 other schools, respectively. Student responses to questions about masking were in line with these observed rates of mask use where 92.9% of respondents at CU and 89.8% at CSU believe that wearing masks can protect the health of others. Both Colorado universities saw their largest surges in COVID-19 cases in the fall of 2020, with markedly lower case counts during the mask observation window in the spring of 2021. CONCLUSION: High levels of mask use at Colorado's two largest campuses aligned with rates observed at other institutes across the country. These high rates of use, coupled with positive student attitudes about mask use, demonstrate that masks were widely accepted and may have contributed to reduced COVID-19 case counts. This study supports an emerging body of literature substantiating masks as an effective, low-cost measure to reduce disease transmission and establishes masking (with proper education and promotion) as a viable tactic to reduce respiratory disease transmission on college campuses.

COVID-19 Response Strategies at Large Institutes of Higher Education in the United States: A Landscape Analysis, Fall 2020.

PURPOSE: To examine the pandemic response plans of institutes of higher education (i.e., colleges and universities), including COVID-19 prevention, enforcement, and testing strategies. METHOD: Data from the largest public (n = 50) and private (n = 50) US institutes of higher education were collected from October 30 to November 20, 2020. RESULTS: Most institutes of higher education (n = 93) offered some in-person teaching in the Fall 2020 semester; most adopted masking (100%) and physical distancing (99%) mandates. Other preventive strategies included on-campus housing de-densification (58%), classroom de-densification (61%), mandated COVID-19-related training (39%), and behavioral compacts (43%). Testing strategies included entry testing (65%), testing at regular intervals (32%), population sample testing (46%), and exit testing (15%). More private than public institutes implemented intercollegiate athletics bans, behavioral compacts, and suspension clauses for noncompliance. CONCLUSIONS: Variability in COVID-19 prevention and testing strategies highlights the need for national recommendations and the equitable distribution of sufficient pandemic response resources to institutes of higher education.