SEATTLE, WA — When the University of Washington announced Friday it would cancel in-person classes for the rest of the quarter as the coronavirus spreads in Washington, Brittany Bertolin breathed a sigh of relief.

"I loved that, because I was planning on not going to class anyhow," Bertolin, a freshman at the UW, told Patch. "I don't want to put myself at more risk than I already am." Bertolin, 18, has asthma, which may make her more at risk of developing serious symptoms if she becomes infected with COVID-19.

So far, the UW has announced one staff member's positive test for COVID-19. A law student suspected of having the virus was ordered to self-isolate, and four undergraduates tested negative. The threat of the virus has reshaped Bertolin's day-to-day life. Bertolin has been self-isolating in her dorm room, meticulously cleaning surfaces in the common area she shares with seven other students. And she decided to cancel plans to go home to Olympia over spring break — her father, who is in his sixties, also has an autoimmune disorder, and she didn't want to risk infecting him.

"If he gets it, it would really suck," she said. (A February WHO report showed an 8 percent mortality rate for COVID-19 patients with chronic respiratory diseases, which includes asthma. But much remains unknown about how the virus affects different groups.) Other students are taking similar precautions. Sophie, a 19-year-old senior who asked to be identified by their first name, also has asthma, and tried for two days to self-isolate in their off-campus apartment before giving up.

"It was awful — I was just going absolutely stir crazy," they said. Eventually, Sophie relocated to their parents' home nearby, where the isolation is less severe.

'Echo chamber of fury' The anxiety wasn't limited to students with a personal stake in the fight against the coronavirus. In the days before the university canceled classes, virus-related content flooded social media at the UW, creating what Sophie called "an echo chamber of fury."