USA COVID-19 cases came in at 44,543 Thursday, which is +788 higher vs 7D ago.  So, there is a clear "stall" in the pace of improvements. It seems like college students returning to campus is fueling another round of cases. The two states with the largest increase are Iowa and Alabama.  This week, Iowa took an emergency measure to close bars. There have been widely reported outbreaks at several college campuses in Alabama. So, both states are aware of these surges and hopefully are taking sufficient corrective measures. 

Colleges are going to struggle to contain COVID-19 cases.  I am not sure if it is possible for cases to be zero on a campus. The reason is due to the existing prevalence of COVID-19.  If we look at the University of Alabama and its 20,000 returning students, we estimate that 30 to 40 of the returning students were contagious when they arrived on campus. 

Thus, the campus was not likely "COVID-19 free". But this picture is not all negative.  Florida and Arizona have large schools but there has not been a major new wave of cases reported.  So, there may be some basis to believe that once a community reaches a sufficiently high level of case prevalence, COVID-19 spread naturally slows.

Abbott Labs’s announcement of...

Unlock this article with a FREE 30-Day Trial!

An FSI Pro, or FSI Macro subscription is required in order to access this content.

*Free trial available only on a monthly plan

More from the author

Disclosures (show)

Get invaluable analysis of the market and stocks. Cancel at any time. Start Free Trial

Articles Read 2/2

🎁 Unlock 1 extra article by joining our Community!

You’ve reached your limit of 2 free monthly articles. Please enter your email to unlock 1 more articles.

Already have an account? Sign In

Want to receive Regular Market Updates to your Inbox?

I am your default error :)