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COVID-19
Sept. 29, 2021 Review | Column | COVID-19 | Local | Caribfest | News | Ad | Sports | Stang Stories COVID-19 Reporting at MSU:
How accurate are the numbers?
From Aug. 1 to Sept. 27, there have been 141 reported cases on campus compared to 470 reported cases from July 1, 2020 - July 31, 2021.
PHOTO COURTESY OF PIXABAY.COM
EMILY BEAMAN NEWS EDITOR
Midwestern State University releases an updated count of reported COVID-19 cases on campus every weekday. These reports provide an idea of what the COVID-19 situation is like for the whole of the campus population while also allowing the university to track trends.
“To the best of our ability, those are accurate and they are updated daily,” Interim President James Johnston said. “It’s to our benefit to make sure everyone is aware the most accurate number of cases possible because if you try to hide those, all we’re doing is perpetuating infection and spread.”
Every morning the reports are tabulated by Dr. Keith Williamson, medical director at the Vinson Health Center. Students can report cases in two different ways. The first is by self-report, which could be reporting a positive test or infected roommate and a need to quarantine. The other way is by a self-test, which Williamson says is more likely to be misinterpreted.
“If a student tests positive, the faculty are notified. If an employee tests positive, the area where they work is notified,” Johnston said.
Unlike last semester, not all colleges are participating in contact tracing, which is where students are provided with information on a COVID-positive student in their class. While some colleges, like the Dillard College of Business Administration, still have classes following this procedure, other colleges, like ProthroYeager College of Humanities and Social Sciences, aren’t allowed to.
“Part of the reason... is because the only test results we’re really sure about are the ones we hear about on campus. We get specimen, we send it off, we get the results. So we do contact tracing on those people,” Williamson said.
Caroline Gomez, political science junior, said the university culture around COVID-19 is more relaxed this semester. She also believes that the number of cases are being underreported.
“They aren’t as adamant about checking in, I feel like, and someone might test positive but they aren’t getting their test from the Vinson Health Center,” Gomez said. “I would report it, but I think there’s a lot of people that don’t report it. They want to come to class.”
Williamson admits that he believes the numbers from the reports are not completely correct. He refers to serology studies over the last year reporting that for every one diagnosed and reported case, there are two cases unaccounted for.
“There is no doubt in my mind that our numbers are not complete and accurate... [But] they reflect the numbers in the community, which tells me I’m probably getting an accurate picture of activity on campus,” Williamson said.
Part of the inaccuracy could be due to students knowing they are positive but not reporting it. This could be due to several personal or occupational factors the person has to take into account.
“This disease has disparate impacts on people. The younger you are the less you have to personally deal with and you’ve got a job, school and deadlines... there are pressures,” Williamson said.
If a student reports a positive test or a need to quarantine from exposure, they will likely miss 10 to 14 days of school, work or life in general. While Zane Batson, art junior, said they would report themselves, they believes many students don’t.
“[People with symptoms are] probably not [reporting]. There are people who will but I think nobody wants to cause a panic so they’re gonna just keep to themselves,” Batson said. “I would [report myself if I had symptoms] because I work at Lowes and I come to such a public place. I know that affects a lot more people than just me.”
The Texas Department of State Health Services reports that one out of every 300 people in Wichita county have died from COVID-19. As of Sept. 25, there were 2,114 active cases in the county, a sharp increase from last summer when there were estimated to be 80. The county’s case positivity rate, the percentage of those who test positive, is reported as high.
“If it’s below 10%, we’re winning. If it’s above 10% we’re losing, and it’s been above 10% since early August,” Williamson said.
How do we improve? Williamson says the answer is in increasing immunity levels. To reach herd immunity and get the virus under control, the percentage of the population who is immune needs to reach between 80-90%. Right now, Texas is at 70.89% and Wichita County is at 45.03% immunity.
“Natural immunity and vaccineinduced immunity, appear to me, in Wichita county [based on] observational data to be about the same,” Williamson said.
The fundamental difference between natural immunity and vaccine-induced immunity, Williamson says, is safety. To explain, he uses an analogy about being stuck on the fifth floor of a building after the elevator goes out.
“You have two choices... if you jump out the window, you will arrive at the ground floor. You may not survive, you may be injured or you may be extremely lucky and have no consequences. [If] you go down the stairs, you’ll be sore and tired but get to the bottom, and that’ll go away promptly, and you’ll be just fine,” Williamson said. “Natural immunity is very, very, very risky and has ugly, ugly consequences. Vaccine immunity is safe [and] effective.”
The Delta variant has led to a surge in cases over the summer, but if it follows the expected pattern, it should die down as fall sets in. This is based off of flu-related strains and also what was observed about the virus last year.
“This surge is going to end, I believe, in the first couple weeks of October.... We will continue to have cases but the surge will be over,” Williamson said.
CAROLINE GOMEZ political science junior
5
RHOC FEST CAR SHOW
JAIME ALEMÁN REPORTER
Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 to recognize Hispanic culture, history and what Hispanics contribute to the community. The Hispanic-owned custom car restoration shop, Ruben’s House of Classics, is owned by Ruben Rodriguez Sr. and known locally for sponsoring events in Wichita Falls. The restoration shop pushes to inspire young Hispanics.
“The way I see to help the Hispanic generation is to think positive. Always stay focused and believe in yourself. It’s very, very hard, especially for Latinos,” Rodriguez Sr. said.
Ruben’s House of Classics is a restoration hub for classic cars; it includes Empire Wraps and Red River Steel. The Rodriguez family moved from Dallas to be closer to family in Wichita Falls and created the business. The car restoration warehouse is nationally known and has classic cars restored that have appeared in magazines. The famous 1935 “Ground Zero” has won awards and contests.
“The 1935 Chevrolet 2-door has been included in photo shoots in Hot-Rod and Bomb magazine. It’ll be at the show, but I think we are gonna have it on the lift,” Ruben Jr. said.
RHOC specializes in the “bombita,” a Spanish term meaning small bomb. The “bombita” is a Chevrolet car from the early 1930s to the 1950s seen in mobster movies. Customers from all over the country come for custom restoration at the family-run business.
“The ones we sponsor and use at events lined out, those are bombitas. That’s why people bring us those cars because we specialize in bombitas,” Rodriguez Jr. said.
RHOC celebrated 10 years in Wichita Falls with The RHOC Fest Car Show on Saturday, Sept. 25 in Downtown Wichita Falls, on 417 Indiana Ave. The 10th-anniversary celebration had classic cars, food trucks, vendors and live music with a DJ from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“It’s going to be a good event. We are going to have all kinds of classic cars and a DJ. The entire shop is going to be open and people will be able to walk through and look at the warehouse and shops,” Rodriguez Sr. said.
For the special anniversary, RHOC opened the warehouse and let the community have a peek at specially invited cars in the showroom. This will allow the public to see lots of classic cars and how the shop restoration process is done.
“There will be classic cars on lifts on one side of the shop and a pathway going through Empire Wraps, the graphic shop on the right side of the warehouse,” Rodriguez Jr. said.
RHOC has sponsored downtown events, especially Hispanic events, such as Loco for Cinco that is put on by Potencia Projects, another Hispanic organization that provides a platform to highlight Latin art and culture. Ruben’s House of Classics will have classic cars at the upcoming Día de Muertos parade that will be on Oct. 30.
“We get involved with Loco for Cinco, the Hispanic event during the Mexican holiday for Cinco de Mayo and provide signs, banners, and of course some of our classic cars. We enjoy being a part of the Hispanic community and Potencia Projects continue to make it better and better. They do positive stuff for Hispanics in Wichita Falls,” Rodriguez Sr. said.
The passion started early for RHOC with a smaller restoration shop in Dallas and has grown to make an impact in Wichita Falls. Red River Steel is the metal shop in the warehouse that uses a CNC plasma cutter table to make custom parts and many types of metal signs.
“We got the CNC plasma cutter with the intention of making our own custom parts so that we can customize any car or truck,” Rodriguez Jr said. “Now, with the metal cutter, we can cut out of metal almost anything you want.”
