HOUSTON — As U.S. colleges ramped up for the fall semester, fighting to control the coronavirus was top of mind. But it hasn’t been easy.
Alarming numbers from the New York Times show more than 51,000 COVID-19 cases had been reported by colleges across the country as of Sept. 3. The numbers come from more than 1,500 colleges being tracked by the NYT.
It's all but impossible to keep COVID-19 off campuses but it's not for lack of trying.
Some universities offer only remote learning while others have banned big parties and even canceled football season.
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Masks are a must at Texas universities and social distancing is required.
But enforcing the rules for tens of thousands of students is a challenge, to say the least.
We looked at coronavirus cases at many colleges across the Lone Star State, based on numbers from their websites.
The methods of tracking cases vary widely with some totals dating back to March, while others are only listing cases from this semester. Some websites are updated daily, others weekly.
The numbers include students and staff who have tested positive. When available, we included the number of active cases and the positivity rate.
Here’s how the schools stacked up, as of September 4.
Texas Christian University
TCU has had 965 total cases of COVID-19 since March
244 active cases on Sept. 4
Positivity rate unavailable
Texas A&M University
Active cases unavailable
Positivity rate: 11.6%
Baylor University
Baylor has had 759 cases since Aug. 1
522 active
Positivity rate: 10.8%
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech has had 671 total cases since August 3
477 active cases
Positivity rate unavailable
University of Texas
UT-Austin has had 600 cases since March 1
Number of active cases unavailable
Positivity rate unavailable
Texas State University
Texas State has had 277 cases since March 1
Active cases unavailable
Positivity rate unavailable
Sam Houston State University
SHSU has had 206 cases since Aug. 20
Active cases unavailable
Positivity rate unavailable
Southern Methodist University
SMU has had 203 cases since June 15
156 active cases
Positivity rate unavailable
University of Houston
UH has had 189 cases on its main campus since March 20
Active cases unavailable
Positivity rate not available
Prairie View University
Prairie View has had 111 cases since March 11
Active cases unavailable
Positivity rate unavailable
Rice University
Rice has had 84 cases since March 3
Active cases unavailable
Positivity rate: .12%
Texas Southern University
Texas Southern reports one case, according to the NYT
TSU is online learning only until Sept. 14
Houston Baptist University
No records found on HBU website
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