At least 105 University of Washington students residing in fraternity houses near campus have tested positive for coronavirus, according to statements from university personnel Thursday.
UW announced Tuesday that 38 fraternity members in nine different houses had COVID-19. This number jumped by 62 students by Thursday. The university inter-fraternity council (IFC) estimated that 105 students total in 15 greek houses had contracted the virus, KIRO 7 reported.
“What is occurring north of campus provides lessons for students as they consider their return to campus this fall. If everyone does their part to keep each other safe, we can continue to engage with one another and with our studies in the University environment by wearing face coverings and remaining physically distant,” chair of the UW Advisory Committee on Communicable Diseases Dr. Geoffrey Gottlieb told KIRO 7.
Students at the University of Washington are on campus for the last day of in-person classes on March 6, 2020 in Seattle, Washington. (Karen Ducey/Getty Images)
More than 800 students on the UW campus have been tested following the outbreak, and updated case counts are forecasted until next week, university spokesperson Michelle Ma told CBS News. Around 1,000 students reside in 25 fraternity houses near the college and most are being advised to quarantine, KIRO reported.
One student said he observed no less than a dozen house parties by Greek Row, according to CBS. (RELATED: Potential COVID-19 Vaccine Bolstered Immune Response In Trials — But Also Had Side Effects)
Washington state has approximately 34,100 cases of COVID-19 and around 1,300 have died from the virus, a Friday afternoon department of health calculation showed.
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