April 30, 2021

Large University with High COVID-19 Incidence Did Not Increase Risk to Non-Student Population

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Transmission

Keywords (Tags): college

• [Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] The COVID-19 incidence among non-student residents of Centre County, PA (home to Penn State University) was lower than among non-student residents of neighboring counties after students returned to classes in fall 2020. However, the rate of COVID-19 among student residents of Centre County was higher than among non-residents in all surrounding counties. Non-student residents of Centre County demonstrated greater declines in movement compared to residents of surrounding counties as measured by mobile phone data, which authors note may be related to the ability of Centre County residents to more effectively work from home. This data may indicate that the return of students to universities may not necessarily result in a higher incidence of COVID-19 in the surrounding community.

Bharti et al. (Apr 29, 2021). Large University with High COVID-19 Incidence Did Not Increase Risk to Non-Student Population. Pre-print downloaded Apr 30 from https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.04.27.21255023