Testing for breakthrough COVID-19 infection

The following message was shared with the University community on Aug. 19, 2021.

Beginning August 23, COVID Operations will invite fully vaccinated students, faculty, and staff to participate in asymptomatic surveillance testing so that we can monitor breakthrough infection among our vaccinated campus community.

With the advent of the Delta variant and a small number of breakthrough infections already occurring on campus, testing fully vaccinated individuals will help us evaluate the local incidence of breakthrough infection as well as the need for booster shots.

Fully vaccinated students, faculty, and staff will be invited at random via email to participate in testing no more than once a month. Participation is voluntary, and we hope you will choose to do so. Additionally, OHIO community members who would like to take an asymptomatic test to check their health status, to meet travel testing guidelines, or for any other reason may test through Vault Health.

No vaccine is 100 percent effective at preventing illness. A small percentage of fully vaccinated individuals still will be infected. Layering prevention measures is critical to keeping yourself safe: vaccination, masking, distancing, handwashing, and avoiding large gatherings with unvaccinated individuals or that involve close contact. When used together, these measures are highly effective at preventing spread of the virus that causes COVID-19.

If you have questions about our asymptomatic testing program, please contact COVIDoperations@ohio.edu or 740-566-8445.

Dr. Gillian Ice
Special Assistant to the President of Public Health Operations