UW announces coronavirus testing program for students, faculty

The University of Washington announced its new coronavirus testing program as faculty, staff and students return to campus in late September.

The Husky Coronavirus Testing program is a voluntary program beginning Sept. 24. All students and employees who will regularly be on campus or living in group housing, either on campus or in a nearby neighborhood, are encouraged to sign up.

The free testing will be administered on testing sites on the Seattle campus, and self-administered tests will be provided at the Bothell and Tacoma campuses.

“People of all ages with underlying health conditions are at higher risk for developing severe illness and the long-term effects of COVID-19 illness are still unclear,” UW President Ana Mari Cauce said. “The sooner we get the pandemic under control, the sooner we can return to a more ‘normal’ way of living, learning and working.”

Dr. Geoffrey Gottlieb, an infectious disease expert in the UW School of Medicine, said that the school expects to find up to a few hundred positive cases when students return to school.

“Identifying these positive individuals right away – and getting them into self-isolation – is critical toward stemming any spread on campus once in-person instruction and other campus activities begin,” Dr. Gottlieb said.

The program aims to test about 1,000 people per week.

Rapid testing will also be available if someone in a shared living or work environment gets a positive test.

Fall quarter at UW begins Sept. 30.

Get more information here.

Cox Media Group