LOGAN — Utah State University is expanding its COVID-19 testing efforts to include staff and offer testing to individuals who think they have been exposed to novel coronavirus instead of just those exhibiting symptoms.
The diagnostic testing is provided through a collaborative effort among the USU Veterinary Diagnostic Lab, the Department of Nursing and Student Health Services.
For several weeks, the university has offered rapid tests at its student health center to students who had COVID-19 symptoms.
The testing will now be offered to employees as well as to those without symptoms who think they may have been exposed to COVID-19. The testing site is located on the east side of Maverik Stadium, just west of Aggie Village. Testing is free to students and employees and is funded by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act.
USU President Noelle Cockett said making testing more accessible should boost the university’s case containment efforts.
“We’ll be able to increase the number who are getting tested, get results quickly and isolate and quarantine appropriate individuals. All of these things are critical in stopping the chain of transmission,” Cockett said in a press release.
The university’s testing site and lab will process 180 tests a day and results will be available within 24 to 48 hours. Positive test results will be automatically sent to the USU case containment team so that students and employees are contacted quickly with instructions for their isolation or quarantine.
Meanwhile, the university will continue to monitor COVID-19 levels in wastewater.
“Providing testing will help us better monitor for COVID-19 in the campus community, and, combined with wastewater monitoring, can help us identify potential clusters of cases,” said USU’s emergency management director Ellis Bruch.
The university rolled out a new webpage this week to explain how staff and students can access COVID-19 tests. Students and employees who have symptoms will fill out a questionnaire and be pre-approved for a rapid test, as well as the PCR test that verifies the result of the rapid test.
Students and employees who do not have symptoms will schedule their tests through Aggie Health.