Nearly three-quarters of coronavirus cases among University of Cambridge students last autumn have been traced back to a single nightclub, highlighting the risks of reopening venues in the next phase of the UK government’s roadmap. Further outbreaks were curtailed by the expansion of a PCR testing programme, which the university estimates reduced the rate of transmission by a third. Four-fifths of students at Cambridge agreed to swab their noses and throats weekly. These were then analysed at the Cambridge Covid-19 testing centre in collaboration with AstraZeneca and Charles River Laboratories. Nearly half (45%) of the 671 students diagnosed with coronavirus during term time were identified or pre-emptively asked to self-isolate due to the screening programme.

Source: The Guardian June 01, 2021 15:33 UTC