Due to a surge in Covid cases in Texas, Houston-based Rice University will operate virtually for at least the first two weeks of classes. It has also delayed the semester's start date.
Due to a surge in Covid cases in Texas, Houston-based Rice University has announced it will operate virtually for at least the first two weeks of classes, with an eye towards returning to in-person instruction later this semester. In addition, the university – which reported earlier that
of its undergraduate student population had been vaccinated — has pushed back its start date to August 25.announcing the online pivot, Howard Hughes Provost Reginald DesRoches said “a substantial increase in the number of cases within our Rice community, which is predominantly vaccinated” and the need to “pay close attention to the current surge that is especially pronounced in Texas” were among the factors contributing to the decision....
Universities across the country have been gearing up for in-person classes this fall, with hundreds of higher education institutions implementing mandatory vaccination policies as a way to ensure the safety of students and faculty. However, with the rapid spread of the highly-contagious Delta variant and so-called “breakthrough” infections occurring amongst the vaccinated, caution has emerged just as students are arriving on college campuses.
Texas has been amongst the states hit particularly hard this summer. More Texas hospitals are reporting a scarcity of ICU beds than at any other period during the pandemic, with some experts the health crisis could reach its most dangerous phase yet. The latest spike has propelled new cases and Covid-19 hospitalizations to increase to levels just below January peaks.
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