COVID-19 At Stanford: Live Updates

Palo Alto CA

20 December, 2021

9:42 AM

Description

By The Stanford Daily, The Stanford Daily December 19, 2021 As the COVID-19 pandemic grips the country yet again, The Stanford Daily staff is keeping you informed about omicron at Stanford, Santa Clara County and in colleges across the country. Check back here for updates on the latest coronavirus outbreak and Stanford's response. Have a coronavirus question you want answered or a tip you want us to investigate? Reach out to us at [email protected] or via our anonymous tip form. Tracking COVID-19 in Santa Clara County (source: covid19.sccgov.org): Cumulative COVID-19 cases: 154,706 7-day rolling average of new cases: 202 Sunday, Dec. 19 2:00 p.m. University of Southern California to announce online learning and vaccine booster updates next week by Caprielle Eden: The University of Southern California (USC) is likely to mandate COVID-19 booster shots for students and could start the spring semester online, a university official wrote in an email to the campus community. A decision will be made by the end of next week. The school later clarified that it does not intend to hold spring semester remotely and is still planning for in-person instruction.Though a final decision has yet to be announced, USC officials said that any measure taken will be based on "evidence-based practices and public health guidance.""We know that booster shots are critical to protecting members of our community from serious illness," wrote USC Chief Health Officer Sarah Van Orman in the announcement. Almost 2,000 individuals have signed a petition urging USC to keep in-person classes in the interest of students' mental health. 1:55 p.m. Rising COVID-19 cases interrupt college basketball by Isabella Bian: Basketball programs across the NCAA are putting their programs on pause as COVID-19 cases surge through universities across the country. On Dec. 18, UCLA canceled its final non-conference game against Cal Poly, marking the team's third consecutive cancellation this week. Just days earlier on Dec. 15, the Bruins called off a game against Alabama state an hour before tip-off when UCLA head coach Mick Cronin became subject to COVID-19 protocols. The COVID-19 struggles have not been limited to UCLA — earlier this month, Washington forfeited its game against UCLA due to pandemic concerns. The Memphis men's basketball program also called off its Dec. 18 matchup against Tennessee an hour before tip-off. To date this season, over 20 men's basketball games and 36 women's basketball games have been affected by COVID-19 protocols. Saturday, Dec. 18 10:00 p.m. Princeton cancels most spring study abroad programs by Isabella Bian: Amid rising COVID-19 concerns, Princeton University canceled spring 2022 study abroad programs in the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Ireland, Israel, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, The Daily Princetonian reported. The decision comes two days after Princeton moved final exams online and mandated booster shots ahead of the school's spring semester. Study abroad programs in Kenya, Panama and Italy are still scheduled to occur. Princeton made its decision based on the status of the pandemic in each country, specifically "support on the ground, travel regulations and restrictions, and COVID rates," a university official told The Daily Princetonian.In October, Stanford canceled its study abroad program in Kyoto, but the University has yet to announce updates about the status of the remaining winter quarter programs. The Stanford Daily is the independent, student-run newspaper of Stanford University. Read more of their stories at StanfordDaily.com.