Gilbert says Marshall ready to move into second phase of COVID-19 testing

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Marshall University President Jerome Gilbert anticipates a second phase of COVID-19 testing on campus that begins Tuesday will allow the university to find out who may be carrying the virus without knowing it.

Jerome Gilbert

Marshall will randomly choose 60 people to be tested each weekday. It will be cross-section of students, faculty and staff. They will be asked to come to the Memorial Student Center Plaza on a specific day to be tested.

“We’re randomizing individuals within those groups and then asking them to come test,” Gilbert told MetroNews. “We do feel like there’s enough concern out there among the public and our university community that we’ll get a good response rate.”

Testing 60 people Monday-Friday will also enable a quicker turnaround of the test results. Those testing positive will be contacted by Marshall’s contract tracers hopefully within 48 hours of taking the test, Gilbert said.

“We think this is a very good to stay on top of the situation and make sure we contain a spread if it starts to develop,” he said.

A third phase of testing could be added if the second phase produces a lot of positives. The results will be posted on Marshall’s coronavirus website.

Marshall required everyone to be tested before the fall semester began. The positive test rate was just more than .5%. Gilbert said they’ll watch the numbers with the new random testing.

“If it were to go up then we would start taking additional measures in terms of testing other populations,” he said. “So it would give us a chance to find out where it may be increasing in incidents and then focus on that area.”

The testing is free and voluntary. Gilbert said they’ll over invite each day in hopes of getting 60 participants. A person can be selected more than once. The plan is to continue the testing through Nov. 20.

The weekday hours for testing at the Memorial Student Center Plaza are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Gilbert said Marshall is also exploring other kinds of COVID-19 surveillance including monitoring waste streams out of campus buildings.

“That would be an added feature if we decide to do it,” he said.

Gilbert said he continues to notice a feeling of calm on campus. Marshall is holding in-person classes for freshmen and some graduate and professional students. Other students are taking classes online.





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