A virus expert tells Duke its plan to reopen campus is reckless. Duke isn’t listening.

Duke University is trying to reassure students, parents, faculty and staff that extensive COVID-19 testing will make it safe to reopen the campus for the fall semester, but its plans are being publicly challenged by an especially knowledgeable and persistent grandparent.

Robert M. Krug, whose two daughters attended Duke and whose grandson is there now, is a molecular biologist who specializes in the molecular mechanisms of how viruses spread. If you look up “virus” in the Encyclopedia Britannica, he’s one of two authors of the article. His research into how the influenza virus replicates provided the basis for the most effective antiviral for treating influenza – Xofluza.

Now a professor emeritus at the University of Texas at Austin, Krug, 80, has peppered Duke administrators for weeks with emails challenging the safety of opening amid a surge in coronavirus cases. The university’s rote responses thank him for his advice and say it will be passed on.

“I’m an expert on infectious disease,” Krug said in an interview. “Why don’t they listen to me? I’ve gotten no response that’s meaningful.”

Krug’s concerns are shared by some Duke faculty members, but they are wary of speaking out. The retired professor, however, will not be put off. Last week, he posted an open letter to Duke President Vincent Price on the website Medium.

Krug thinks bringing students from states with soaring numbers of confirmed infections – such as Florida, Texas and California – into a city whose public schools will offer only remote instruction because of rising COVID-19 infections poses too great a risk. He wrote in his open letter: “Duke students, faculty, administrators and other personnel will not be safe from contracting COVID-19 disease, and Duke will accelerate the spread of the COVID-19 disease in Durham and other local communities.”

He added that Duke students’ youth will not offer total protection from the virus: “Does Duke want to carry out a large-scale experiment with Duke students to determine the incidence of severe COVID-19 disease and deaths in the age group of these students?”

Duke spokesman Michael J. Schoenfeld said in statement that Duke’s medical and testing experts have developed a testing plan that will “create the safest possible environment for all Duke students and employees who will be on campus this semester.”

But the virus may be stronger than Duke anticipates. Unlike the influenza virus, the new coronavirus has spread during hot weather, but Krug thinks the heat has concealed its full infectious strength. “The virus is probably being affected by the weather,” he said. “In October and November, you’re going to see a burst that makes what we’ve seen so far look pale.”

Krug knows a lot about viruses, but when it comes to Duke’s response to the new coronavirus, he’s baffled. “I don’t understand it. I really don’t,” he said. ”It doesn’t make sense.”

He understands that shutting down in-person classes could be costly, but it’s no excuse. “I don’t have that much sympathy for Duke wanting the money. They’ve got a lot of money,” he said.

The best approach, Krug said, is to give scientists more time to work on vaccines and treatments for COVID-19. “There are a lot of people working on this. There are a lot of benefits to delaying a little. We’ll know more,” he said. “Why not wait and not expose young people to a dangerous situation?

Duke’s plan alarms Krug as a scientist. It bothers him as father and grandfather. His daughter worries about sending her son to Durham for his junior year.

Krug said, “Does my grandson go to Duke and expose himself to possibly getting COVID, or does he stay home and just do work online? It’s a cruel choice and he’s not alone.”

This story was originally published July 26, 2020 at 12:00 AM.