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- Sept. 1, 2020 | COVID-19 Testing Results and Future Plans...
- Title:
- Sept. 1, 2020 | COVID-19 Testing Results and Future Plans
- Date:
- 2020-09-01
- Category:
- Presidential Memos
- Harvested from:
- https://perma.cc/H79Z-9K2U
- Type:
- text
- Digital Format:
- text/html
- Reference Link:
- https://www.lib.uidaho.edu/digital/fridayletter/letters/president_memo_2020-09-01.html
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Sept. 1, 2020 | COVID-19 Testing Results and Future Plans
TO: University of Idaho Moscow-Based Students, Faculty and Staff
FROM: Scott Green, President
DATE: Sept. 1, 2020
SUBJECT: COVID-19 Testing Results and Future Plans
It is great to see students back on campus. We are hearing many positive reports of students and faculty grateful to be back in the classroom. Our challenge now is to keep those in-person classes viable.
Yesterday we posted test results from last week to the COVID-19 website. Weekly testing results will continue to be posted on the site. We have processed over 7,700 tests and have experienced a 1.08% positive infection rate. Because we tested every student and hundreds of employees, it is inevitable that there has been a reported increase of COVID-19 cases in Latah County.
The good news is these students and employees, most of whom were asymptomatic, were identified, isolated and received care. We currently have three students being cared for in our on-campus isolation unit. While there are still approximately 50 students who have tested and are awaiting clearance, and some students still arriving to campus (many WWAMI students will likely arrive this week), testing of students and employees has been largely completed.
Our lab will remain open until the viral threat is diminished. As we shift to surveillance sampling, lab capacity will also support testing in the region. If you experience any COVID-19 symptoms, do not go to class or work, please quarantine and contact the Vandal Health Clinic at 208-885-6693 to coordinate getting tested at Gritman’s Martin Wellness Center. You should quarantine until you have the results. If you need transportation to the drive-through testing site, sign up online. For other testing questions please email covid19questions@uidaho.edu.
Because of Labor Day travel, we planned to begin surveillance testing the week of Sept. 13, but as we monitor the rise in infection rate in Whitman County, we may begin surveillance testing sooner. We are working with our modeling team to determine both the process and the number of samples to take each week.
Our model of the risks of COVID-19 at the University of Idaho is just one tool being used to assess ways to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 for our students, staff and faculty while on campus. The model itself uses an epidemiological compartment model that has been overlaid onto the U of I community. From there, we will update model parameters based on our ongoing data screening to predict the expected burden of COVID-19 in the coming weeks. We will also use the model to assess COVID-19 surveillance testing strategies — such as a thorough post-Labor Day round of tests — and how those strategies might benefit U of I by preventing a severe outbreak. We will continue updating the model throughout the semester with the latest data to provide the best forecasts for our community. We understand there is great interest in surveillance testing. Information will be updated regularly on the COVID-19 website.
As a reminder, we strongly encourage students to remain in Moscow until the Fall Break, including over Labor Day. If you do travel over Labor Day, we ask that you arrange to be tested again no sooner than six days after your return (the incubation period for the virus is 6-14 days, so you may have it, but you may test negative if you test too early) or at the first sign of COVID-19 symptoms. Contact covid19questions@uidaho.edu for help scheduling a non-symptomatic testing appointment. With the significant increase in infection rate in Pullman, we appreciate your heightened observance of Healthy Vandal protocols. Whitman County has had 350 cases and climbing in the past 10 days — this is significantly more than we had in our entire initial screening. Care and caution should be taken by all employees and students as these are our colleagues, friends and neighbors and many members of our campus community live in Whitman County. We owe it to each other to act responsibly.
Again, it is great to see everyone back on campus and complying with the Healthy Vandal Pledge. We do sincerely appreciate your continued diligence to keep our campus safe.
Scott Green
President