Campus community members lined up Wednesday for St. Thomas’ free on-campus asymptomatic COVID-19 testing in the Anderson Athletic and Recreation Complex Field House.
This test is administered by filling a vial with saliva. Center for Well-Being Director Madonna McDermott hopes that the testing opportunity protects students’ families if they choose to go home for Thanksgiving break.
“One of the things it does first and foremost is help protect the broader community, so students that are choosing and family members that are choosing to gather with other folks, they’ll have a little bit more information about whether they should or should not do it,” McDermott said.
McDermott also hopes that this will give “a snapshot on the prevalence” of COVID-19 on campus.
“Right now, our prevalence rate is based on students that are getting tested,” McDermott said. “A lot of those students are getting tested because they’re symptomatic so it makes it sound like we have a high incidence or prevalence rate.”
Most students had similar reasons for getting tested.
“I don’t want to get my family sick, especially my dad who is a dentist,” junior Drew Vaillant said.
Associate Vice Provost for Student Achievement Sheneeta White also took advantage of the free testing.
“I think it’ll bring some comfort to our families, and then students can feel comfortable that they’re going home and they’re feeling safe,” White said.
Sophomore Libbie Yung mentioned the Center for Well-Being could get overwhelmed with student tests if the university didn’t offer these free tests.
“It was very nice of them to do that because otherwise the Center for Well-Being would have been stampede central,” Yung said.
First-year Julia Carter has had experience with different types of COVID-19 tests.
“It went pretty good, but it took a little bit longer than previous tests that I’ve taken,” Carter said.
Staff from the Center for Well-Being, volunteers and student workers tested an average of 100 people per hour.
“They’re funneling a lot of people in and out here,” sophomore Adrian Breitzke said, “so I think they’re doing a pretty good job.”
The university will also offer testing from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday in the same location. Students, faculty and staff can continue to sign up for a time slot here.
Emily Haugen can be reached at haug7231@stthomas.edu.
Justin Amaker can be reached at justin.amaker@stthomas.edu.
Joey Swanson can be reached at swan5350@stthomas.edu.
Song Johansen can be reached at song.johansen@stthomas.edu.
Annie Terry contributed to this report.