Krissy Proctor
Online Editor
Far from battling the usual student sicknesses such as spring fever and senioritis, last week Covenant College students found themselves numbered among many communities in the area battling the infamous Norovirus.
The illness, a common variety of stomach bug, was spotted in multiple institutions in the Chattanooga area at the time, according to the Georgia Public Health Department. Symptoms of the highly contagious virus include stomach cramping, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, low-grade fever as well as some general weakness all setting in within a 24-48 hour period after exposure.
At Covenant, a total of 58 students were affected and four hospitalized, causing rumors to circulate that a food poisoning incident had occurred at the institute’s dining facility, the Great Hall.
More recently the Georgia Public Health team sent to investigate has confirmed that the students were suffering from the same Norovirus that hit Chattanooga and other area schools a week before.
“The best way to avoid viruses is to wash your hands frequently and have social distance from someone who is ill,” cautioned Covenant’s Health Services Director Nurse Barb Michal to students soon after the outbreak. “These are the kinds of things your mother taught you to do.”
While Bryan has yet to see any cases of the virus, Dr. David Bartal, a recent addition to Bryan’s Polyclinic staff, urges students to maintain healthy living habits as finals week approaches.
“This virus is mainly spread through close contact and bad hygiene – the kind of thing you find in any college environment. There isn’t a lot of concern as long as we don’t have any cross-over, but it never hurts to clean and careful,” he said.