More than 900 University of Iowa students report coronavirus diagnosis

More than 900 University of Iowa students have reported testing positive for coronavirus as of Monday, with more than a third of the new cases being identified just since Friday.  

A total of 13 university employees have received positive results, including three new cases reported since Friday, the school said in a release.

The university, which had its first day of classes last Monday, announced that 78 students who live in residence halls are in self-isolation after testing positive and 17 are in quarantine after potentially being exposed. 

On Friday, the university said in its release that “if the positive case rate does not begin to flatten next week, the university will consider additional actions.”

The New York Times lists Iowa City, Iowa, where the university is located, as the second worst metro area for coronavirus per population, with 1,664 cases recorded in the past two weeks, amounting to 7.6 cases per 1,000 people.

Iowa City is also ranked fourth per capita for metro areas where new cases are increasing the fastest. The city counted 354 cases a week ago and now has 1,310 cases, a change of 552 per 100,000 people. 

Ames, Iowa, where Iowa State University is located, ranked first on both Times’ lists. 

The rise in cases on campus come as universities across the country have reopened in recent weeks, though many, including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Notre Dame University, have shifted classes online after spikes in cases.