Trump: Closing colleges amid outbreaks 'could cost lives'

President Donald Trump on Wednesday blasted universities that have canceled in-person classes amid coronavirus outbreaks, saying the move could ultimately cost lives rather than saving them.

Raising the issue at a White House press briefing, Trump said the virus is akin to the seasonal flu for college students and that students pose a greater safety threat at home with older family members than on college campuses. He cited no evidence to support either contention, and the White House did not respond to a request for information on what Trump based his remarks.

Health experts have said the novel coronavirus appears to be deadlier than the seasonal flu — initial data suggest a far higher mortality — and it is more easily transmitted. Another major difference: There is no vaccine for the novel coronavirus while there is a vaccine for the seasonal flu.

“It’s significantly safer for students to live with other young people than to go home and spread the virus to older Americans," Trump said.

Most college students are 18 and older and thus considered adults, who are more susceptible to coronavirus illnesses than children. While older adults face greater risks from COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported last month that otherwise healthy young adults can experience lingering symptoms, including cough, fatigue and body aches, for two to three weeks.

Campuses face unique challenges in keeping students safe and responding to outbreaks, including providing adequate facilities for placing infected or possibly infected students in quarantine. A paper posted recently on JAMA Network, a website of the American Medical Association, concluded that containing COVID-19 on a campus would require frequent testing of students, social distancing and other...