The University of Michigan released its latest virus testing numbers this afternoon, with student-athletes in 19 different varsity sports having been examined.
The following statistics are as of Aug. 14, and include U-M athletes involved in the following sports: baseball, men's basketball, women's basketball, field hockey, men's gymnastics, women's gymnastics, ice hockey, football, rowing, men's soccer, women's soccer, softball, men's swimming and diving, women's swimming and diving, women's tennis, men's track and field, women's track and field, volleyball and wrestling.
A grand total of 1,346 student-athletes have now been tested at Michigan (ever since testing began), with just 35 of those 1,346 coming back positive (2.6 percent). Even more astounding, only two of the 348 staff members examined have had the virus (0.5 percent).
When combining the the amount of both student-athletes and coaches/staffers who have been looked at, it equates out to a total of just 37 positive tests out of a possible 1,694 (2.1 percent).
The University of Michigan's results have been encouraging all along, and that trend continued this past week during the latest batch of results. From Aug. 8-14, just two of the 254 people checked out wound up having the virus (0.7 percent).
In the email it sent out today, the University of Michigan noted that "the overall number of tests and positive results will not necessarily equal the sum of this week's update plus the figures give in prior weeks' updates. This is due to the number and timing of surveillance tests being conducted, and reflective of the fact that some test results lag behind others."
The Big Ten Conference decided to cancel fall sports entirely earlier this week, despite the low number of positive cases not only at Michigan, but around the league as a whole.
The decision was unsurprisingly met with negative feedback from both Big Ten coaches and medical professionals alike, who were baffled at the conference's decision to cancel sports without even giving it a realistic chance of making it work.
Perhaps no one's words rang more true than those of Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh and ER Doctor Chris Hutchinson (father of U-M junior defensive end Aidan Hutchinson):
"We have shown over the weeks since returning to campus that we could meet the challenge and provide our student-athletes the opportunity of a fall football season," Harbaugh said after the decision was made.
"Our football team, our coaching staff, our support staff in Schembechler Hall have all stepped up, followed every rule, and done everything in their power magnificently to give all the opportunity to compete.
"I am extremely proud, thankful and appreciative of our team and how they have conducted and represented our program and university."
"That’s the most puzzling part to me — they built in a schedule," Hutchinson added while speaking with 97.1 The Ticket's Morning Show on Aug. 13. "You could’ve moved games back and not start for a few more weeks.
"The decision just seemed premature, and there was no reason to make it [Tuesday]. They announced the schedule, we’re moving forward, why did you pull the plug? I believe that risk tolerance was the issue — not risk for getting student-athletes sick, but the risk of being sued — let’s be honest here.
"There was no additional medical information out. They just got together and realized that they might get sued because somebody might have some long-term complications, and they shied away from it.
"That’s my personal belief. From a medical standpoint, that decision was not ready to be made yet."
---
• Talk about this article inside The Fort
• Watch our videos and subscribe to our YouTube channel
• Listen and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolverine
• Sign up for our newsletter, The Wolverine Now
• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolverineMag, @Balas_Wolverine, @EJHolland_TW, @AustinFox42, @JB_ Wolverine, Clayton Sayfie and @DrewCHallett
• Like us on Facebook
