Screening Programs for SARS-CoV-2 Infections on a University Campus — Austin, Texas, September 30–November 30, 2020

Details

• Journal Article:
  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• Personal Author:
  Nerhood, Kayleigh J. ; James, Emily R. ; Hardin, Allen ; Bray, James E. ; Hines, Terrance S. ; Young, Amy E. ; Bhavnani, Darlene
• Description:
  Colleges and universities in the U.S. have relied on various measures during the COVID-19 pandemic to prevent Transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the Virus that causes COVID-19, including implementing tTesting programs (1-3). These programs have permitted a safer return to campus for students by identifying infected persons and temporarily isolating them from the campus population (2,3). The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) implemented COVID-19 Prevention measures in Fall 2020* including the following tTesting programs: clinic-based diagnostic tTesting, voluntary community screening, and targeted screening (tTesting of specific student populations in situations of increased Transmission risk). During September 30-November 30, 2020, UT Austin students participated in tests for SARS-CoV-2, which resulted in the detection of 401 unique student cases of COVID-19 from among 32,401 tests conducted.| Among students who participated in one targeted screening program for students attending campus events, 18 (37.5%) of 48 infected students were asymptomatic at the time of their positive test result compared with 45 (23%) of 195 students identified through community tTesting and nine (5.8%) of 158 students identified through clinic-based tTesting. Targeted screening also identified a different population of students than did clinic-based and community tTesting programs. Infected students tested through targeted screening were more likely to be non-Hispanic White persons (chi square = 20.42; p<0.03), less likely to engage in public health measures, and more likely to have had interactions in settings where the risk for SARS-CoV-2 Transmission is higher, such as restaurants, gyms, and residence halls. In addition to clinic-based SARS-CoV-2 tTesting at colleges and universities, complementary tTesting programs such as community and targeted screening might enhance efforts to identify and control SARS-CoV-2 Transmission, especially among asymptomatic persons and disproportionately affected populations that might not otherwise be reached.
• Subjects:
  Adolescent Adult CoronaVirus Infections COVID-19 COVID-19 Testing Female Humans Male Mass Screening Program Evaluation Quarantine SARS-CoV-2 Students Universities Young Adult

  More +
• Source:
  MMWR Morbidity Mortal Weekly Rep. 70(35):1201-1205
• Series:
  Weekly Report: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• DOI:
  http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/MMWRmm7035a4
• ISSN:
  0149-2195 (print) ; 1545-861X (digital)
• Pubmed ID:
  34473686
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC8422875
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Texas
• Pages in Document:
  5 pdf pages
• Volume:
  70
• Issue:
  35
• Collection(s):
  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:6bfc3f81c065032898cf250dce3aded982f847778f56fa2f7c9686fcd6e0dc615b491744bde8874e8bf647b7a58231f1e7b53ab7a21207e996ec880fd54a1230
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/110231/cdc_110231_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 104.47 KB ]