University of Idaho’s much anticipated COVID-19 testing lab is now testing samples as they arrive from the swabbing site, according to emails from President C. Scott Green sent to Moscow-based students and employees. The email sent to students, “Our Success Begins with Your Leadership,” differed slightly to the email sent to faculty and staff, “U of I Lab Up and Running as Students Return to Campus.”
The new analysis lab, opened in partnership with Gritman Medical Center, will provide test results in 24-48 hours, according to earlier statements from Green, Interim Provost and Executive Vice President Torrey Lawrence and other administrators.
“Getting this lab up has been a Herculean effort, but worth it,” Green said. “Few universities have the capability we now have.”
Due to delays, UI had previously been sending swabs from its testing site to private laboratories. In both emails, Green emphasized continued responsibility and leadership as the keys to keeping campus open.
The email sent to students focused more on the consequences of not adhering to the Healthy Vandal Pledge and other COVID-19-related precautions.
“It is also important that we are mindful of these practices when we leave campus,” Green said. “Notre Dame, which also tested every student, recently had an outbreak of 29 cases, all traced back to an off-campus party. Just (Aug. 18) they announced they are moving to online-only delivery.”
In addition, students were encouraged to report gatherings without social distancing or face coverings to the Moscow Police Department.
“To be clear, if we fail, we will close the campus and students will be sent home,” Green said in the student email. “It is a daunting responsibility, but one I know you will help us lead. Frankly, employees and students not willing to protect our community and each other should not be here.”
In a similar email sent to Moscow-based faculty and staff the same day, Green provided more details on UI’s delay in getting its lab authorized to begin analysis.
“To not be reliant on the variable turnaround times of private labs and to have a more fiscally efficient way to do ongoing testing throughout the academic year, we decided early on to set up our own lab,” Green said. “While we met all Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) standards over a week ago, we were required to meet some previously unknown criteria before our lab was authorized to begin analysis.”
CLIA is a program which regulates all laboratory testing performed on humans in the U.S., according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
As of Aug. 18, the university has received results back on 3,694 tests, has 1,000 samples currently being processed and has another 3,000 students scheduled to be swabbed over the next week, with an infectious rate of 0.97%, according to Green.
Most of the employees and students who tested positive for COVID-19 live off campus and are isolating in their homes, the emails stated. However, five students who live on campus are receiving care in the on-campus isolation facility.
According to the faculty and staff email, instructors will receive a daily report of students ineligible to enter classrooms. Students on this list could are not necessarily positive for COVID-19, however. Some may have not been tested or received test results yet, Green said.
“Some of us will be challenged on enforcement of our policies,” Green said. “If students, employees or visitors to our campus are not complying with the Healthy Vandal Pledge by wearing a face covering or other pledge standards, treat them with respect, and if they still refuse, call campus security.”
Students can sign up for a testing appointment through UI’s online schedule program. Time slots are available for first come, first serve sign-up by students and university employees.
Angela Palermo can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @apalermooo