Pilots Prevent
December 22, 2020
The arrival of COVID-19 vaccines is certainly positive news as the world battles the pandemic. However, safeguards against the ongoing threat and spread of the virus must remain anchored in a robust prevention strategy, which is exactly what awaits University of Portland students when spring term classes begin in late January.
Though spring classes will still be largely virtual, nearly 900 undergraduate students will be living in campus residence halls. For that reason, UP will engage in comprehensive, multi-level testing protocols using an independent, third-party vendor, says Dr. Matthew Rygg, associate vice president for student development.
“Students are eager and willing to come back to campus,” said Rygg. “They’ve missed their friends and life on The Bluff. But in order to open campus to even a partial population, students must adhere to focused testing and reporting protocols.”
Rygg added, “Our plan is strong, but with lots of variables. Until the virus is ultimately eradicated, a realistic goal is to achieve the lowest infection rate possible. That will be one indicator of the success of our approach, but certainly not the only indicator.”
UP’s approach channels resources to combat the spread of COVID-19 into screening, testing, contact tracing and, if needed, isolation/quarantine. “Schools in the Pacific Northwest have been successful with reopening. Testing plans will be a very visible part of our prevention plan,” said Kaylin Soldat, associate director for primary care at the Health and Counseling Center (HCC). “Students must play an honest and active role in their own care and prevention. Our ability as a university to manage any spread of COVID-19 depends on it.”
The primary testing methods of students will be:
After January 1 and in advance of arrival on campus, incoming students will be given access to a special app on their cell phones which will initiate a process of becoming “COVID-19 ready for the semester,” said Rygg. The app will feature the capacity for special notifications, test scheduling, test results reporting and requests for any immediate follow-ups. For students who do not have a cell phone, there will be an internet-based application accessible via computer.
More information about faculty and staff baseline testing will be available in early January. Whenever on campus, faculty and staff will also utilize the app and be included in the same surveillance testing protocols and patterning as the student population.
While our third-party vendor will do asymptomatic testing, Soldat emphasizes the critical role the HCC will play in assisting students who exhibit COVID-19 symptoms and self-report for testing; or those notified of a known exposure to the infection. In those instances, the HCC staff will use Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and antigen testing to determine their status and to recommend any necessary course of action.
Complete details of UP’s testing protocols and other plans can be found at on the Pilots Prevent website at www.up.edu/pilotsprevent.University of Portland
5000 N. Willamette Blvd.,
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