The University of Connecticut is using flexible diagnostic surveillance and symptomatic testing during the fall 2021 semester.
Diagnostic surveillance testing is required for students who are not fully vaccinated, with class registration and Rec Center access contingent on participation. Students are required to submit weekly tests, which do not need to be supervised, to be picked up and dropped off at the Rome Ballroom. There is a designated area open Monday through Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Storrs students should be observant throughout the semester of any potential symptoms relating to COVID-19. The CDC Self-Checker provided on the Student Health and Wellness (SHaW) website is a useful tool, which lists symptoms such as difficulty breathing, new loss of taste or smell and muscle or body aches.
For those suspecting they have COVID-19 or who want to differentiate between another illness, such as the cold or flu, the SHaW Advice Nurse can be reached at (860) 486-4700 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Advice Nurse can help determine if a student should be symptomatically tested and will provide resources for making an appointment if necessary.
Sarah Orner, a fourth-semester pre-teaching major, was tested within a few weeks of starting the fall semester after experiencing a cold.
“When I called, it almost seemed like, at least this year, you had to have symptoms in order to get a test. I called SHaW, and they asked me a lot of basic questions. I told them how I was feeling, and was then ‘deemed worthy’ for a test,” Orner said. “SHaW then gave me a number to call to make an appointment, and it was in South Campus. It wasn’t just a test, they had someone take a look at me and take my temperature. I got my results back there, so it only took around 10 minutes.”
UConn’s COVID-19 testing strategy includes weekly testing for students not fully vaccinated, identified students who came in contact with a positive or presumed positive case, and symptomatic students regardless of vaccination status, according to the SHaW website.
“Requested COVID-19 testing outside of these parameters is considered student responsibility,” SHaW said, offering 2-1-1 of Connecticut as a resource for testing.