Ohio University partners with CVS Health for COVID-19 asymptomatic testing of students, employees

Students, faculty, and staff will be contacted by email if selected to participate beginning September 21

As part of Ohio University’s commitment to protect the health and safety of its students, faculty, and staff, in partnership with CVS Health, the University will begin to conduct a surveillance COVID-19 testing program in Athens beginning September 21 to identify asymptomatic carriers of the virus and monitor its prevalence. CVS is using Abbott ID tests requiring a nasal swab, and the machines take 15 minutes to get the results.

“My top priority is to do everything possible to maintain a safe and healthy environment for our students, faculty, and staff,” President M. Duane Nellis said. “This new asymptomatic testing program is an important step to help us understand and control the pervasiveness of COVID-19.”

Students that are chosen for asymptomatic testing will receive an email directing them to schedule and receive a test by CVS on campus. If directed and not tested in accordance with the email, students will lose access to all University buildings and so will be unable to attend in person classes, labs, studios or any other activities. On campus residential students that do not get tested will be subject to the terms of their Housing Contract.

Employees will be invited to participate in asymptomatic testing with a priority for individuals that have regular student contact.

“Conducting asymptomatic testing will provide us with the opportunity to detect cases in people who may not feel ill, which is a critical step to help stop the spread of disease,” Special Assistant to the President for Public Health Operations and Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine faculty member Gillian Ice said. “The surveillance testing program will allow us to have a more complete understanding of the rates of infection in our community, which will ultimately enable us to respond more effectively.”   

OHIO’s comprehensive strategy to keep students, faculty, and staff healthy now has three primary tools the University is using to manage the pandemic.  

• The COVID Hotline: provides testing for symptomatic students and employees and clinical case management. 
• The COVID19 Incident Report: provides University support to those impacted by COVID and helps to manage exposures on campus. 
• Asymptomatic testing: will include a combination of surveillance and wide-net testing. The goal of this strategy is to identify outbreaks early and act to contain them. 

All OHIO students, faculty and staff are expected to use these resources. 

Visit www.ohio.edu/coronavirus in the coming days for more information about the new CVS Health partnership for random COVID-19 testing at Ohio University.