Reporter Roundtable: Illinois University COVID Update

As Illinois universities wrap up the Fall 2020 semester, the results for two of the major state universities have been mixed as far as their COVID-19 plan and response. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, which has one of the country’s most advanced and aggressive testing programs — known as SHIELD — had more than 32-hundred positive cases among undergrads between mid-August and Nov. 20, 2020 — the last day of in-person classes. That amounts to about 13% of all undergrads. As of yesterday, Illinois State University reported exactly 19-hundred positive cases — but ISU began the fall semester without a mandatory testing program — and has not been testing students at the same frequency as the U of I.

To speak more about whether these testing programs were a success and the inaccurate COVID-19 infection predictions, The 21st was joined by three reporters from across Illinois. 

Guests:

Lee Gaines, Education reporter for Illinois Newsroom, "U Of I Data: Undergrads In Greek And Certified Housing Contracted COVID At Higher Rates Than Others"

Christine Herman, Health reporter for Illinois Newsroom and Side Effects, "U Of I Data: Undergrads In Greek And Certified Housing Contracted COVID At Higher Rates Than Others"

Dana Vollmer, Reporter for WGLT Radio in Peoria

Prepared for web by Zainab Qureshi

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