Description of a University COVID-19 Outbreak and Interventions to Disrupt Transmission, Wisconsin, August – October 2020.

Authors:

Dustin W. Currie^1,2*, Gage K. Moreno^3*, Miranda J. Delahoy^1,2, Ian W. Pray^1,2,4, Amanda Jovaag⁵, Katarina M. Braun⁶, Devlin Cole^4,7, Todd Shechter⁸, Geroncio C. Fajardo¹, Carol Griggs⁵, Brian S. Yandell^9,10, Steve Goldstein¹⁰, Dena Bushman^1,2, Hannah Segaloff^1,2,4, G. Patrick Kelly⁵, Collin Pitts^5,7, Christine Lee^1,11, Katarina M. Grande¹², Amanda Kita-Yarbro¹², Brittany Grogan¹², Sara Mader¹², Jake Baggott⁵, Allen C. Bateman¹³, Ryan P.Westergaard^4,7, Jacqueline E. Tate¹, Thomas C. Friedrich⁶, Hannah L. Kirking¹, David H. O’Connor³, Marie E. Killerby¹ *These authors contributed equally to this work.

Affiliations:

¹Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, COVID-19 Response Team, Atlanta, GA

²Epidemic Intelligence Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA

³Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI

⁴Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Madison, WI

⁵University Health Services, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI

⁶Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI

⁷School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI

⁸Division of Information Technology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI

⁹Department of Statistics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI

¹⁰American Family Insurance Data Science Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI

¹¹Laboratory Leadership Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA

¹²Public Health Madison and Dane County, Madison, WI

¹³Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene, Madison, WI

Abstract

University settings have demonstrated potential for COVID-19 outbreaks, as they can combine congregate living, substantial social activity, and a young population predisposed to mild illness. Using genomic and epidemiologic data, we describe a COVID-19 outbreak at the University of Wisconsin (UW)–Madison. During August – October 2020, 3,485 students tested positive, including 856/6,162 students living in residence halls. Case counts began rising during move-in week for on-campus students (August 25-31, 2020), then rose rapidly during September 1-11, 2020. UW-Madison initiated multiple prevention efforts, including quarantining two residence halls; a subsequent decline in cases was observed. Genomic surveillance of cases from Dane County, where UW-Madison is located, did not find evidence of transmission from a large cluster of cases in the two residence halls quarantined during the outbreak. Coordinated implementation of prevention measures can effectively reduce SARS-CoV-2 spread in university settings and may limit spillover to the community surrounding the university.