Penn State announces more details of symptomatic COVID-19 testing, including rapid-turnaround tests
Penn State announced more details to its symptomatic COVID-19 testing plan Tuesday, confirming a new partnership with Quest Diagnostics while also reporting it recently installed new equipment that should allow for faster test results.
According to a spokesperson, who responded to several inquiries from the Centre Daily Times, University Health Services installed — “and is now validating” — new Abbott testing equipment that will allow the university to rapidly sample an average of at least 100 symptomatic students per day through a nasal test, “depending on availability of test kits.”
Results should typically be available in about an hour, the spokesperson said.
The details of Penn State’s symptomatic testing plan were the final pieces to the university’s overall testing plan. The university had previously already released information on asymptomatic testing and pre-arrival testing, where 30,000 students, faculty and staff were mailed tests by Vault.
As far as asymptomatic testing, which refers to those who show no signs of outward infection, the university announced in July it would test about 1% of the university population each day. A spokesperson clarified Tuesday those test results are anticipated in 48-72 hours.
According to Penn State’s COVID-19 tracker, which is updated weekly, the university ran two symptomatic tests from Aug. 14-20 and neither result was returned as of Friday, when the tracker was publicly launched.
Two positive tests turned up at University Park during asymptomatic testing last week, as 81 tested negative and 198 others awaited test results.
Penn State classes started Monday. Under current plans, students will continue to attend class until Nov. 20, when the university will switch to remote instruction after Thanksgiving break.
