As spring semesters begin on campuses across the nation, leaders are pressed to employ COVID-19 testing strategies and mitigation efforts that will allow learning to proceed, while at the same time preserving the health and safety of faculty, staff, and students.
A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine seeks to describe various COVID-19 testing strategies and how they apply to colleges and universities with different unique needs and situations.
Based on data from the fall semester, fast and frequent testing can help keep COVID-19 from spreading quickly on campuses and in university communities, but the authors note that testing is only one facet of an effective COVID-19 mitigation strategy.
A comprehensive strategy also requires knowledge of and adherence to scientific findings and principles, isolation and quarantining of those who test positive and those have have potentially been exposed, contact tracing, wearing masks and maintaining physical distance, and engaging with the community and local public health officials.