LOGAN, Utah, Oct. 14, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — Utah State University is now offering on-site COVID-19 testing for students and employees on the Logan campus.
For several weeks, the university has offered rapid tests at the Student Health and Wellness Center to students who had COVID-19 symptoms, said a news release from USU. Now testing will be available to employees, as well as to those without symptoms who think they may have been exposed.
“Making testing easily accessible on campus will be a huge boost to our case containment efforts,” said USU President Noelle Cockett. “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 added that any current student, faculty, or staff member will be able to get tested at the Logan campus site.
USU’s COVID-19 testing site and lab will process 180 tests per day, with results 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. Testing is free to both students and employees and is funded by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.
“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 Ellis Bruch, USU’s emergency management director.
The new testing site is located on the east side of Maverik Stadium, just west of Aggie Village. USU debuted a new webpage this week to explain how to access a COVID-19 test.
USU’s COVID-19 diagnostic testing is provided through a collaborative effort by the USU Veterinary Diagnostic Lab, the Department of Nursing, and Student Health Services. All test results are reported to the Utah Department of Health, which then provides case numbers to local health departments across Utah.
