COVID-19 testing smooth, but UK students worry about virus spread by parties, bars
Although more than 3,000 were tested for COVID-19 in the first two days of the University of Kentucky’s ambitious program to screen every student arriving on campus, the so far smooth operation was sharply criticized by some students.
On the first day of testing, the UK-hired Wild Health medical staff tested close to 1,800 students on Monday, UK spokesperson Jay Blanton said. At five different sites around campus, the university expected to test 1,700 more on Tuesday.
The walk-up and drive-through testing site at the Kroger Field parking lot had the most traffic with more than 1,000 every day. The goal is for students to spend less than 15 minutes on the lot. During that time, students living off campus get a wellness kit — complete with masks, wipes and hand sanitizer — and a COVID-19 test. Results get turned around within 24 to 48 hours.
Several students interviewed feared a possible outbreak at an off-campus party or bar during the school year after the intitial round of testing had been completed.
Most students were tested through rolled-down car windows, but Isaac Domenech decided to pedal through the cone-lined parking lot and get his test behind handlebars.
“It was amazing,” said the bicycle-riding, second-year medical student. “I just rolled up, they gave me my little care package, and then I rolled to the testing station. It took like two minutes.”
Students are notified via text and email about when they can schedule a test. They pick a half-hour window between Aug. 3 and Aug. 22, and arrive for the screening. The first day of classes is Aug. 17. The university has capacity to test up to 30,000 students, but likely won’t hit that number because students can submit tests from other providers and online-only students won’t have to be tested.
The university has spent north of $5 million in preparation for a semester where a large variety of PPE, plexiglass walls, hand sanitizer and tests had to be purchased.
Should a student test positive, a member of the UK Health Corps. — a newly created team which will be responsible for contact tracing and connecting the campus to health resources and other support — will reach out to the student. Students living on campus will be placed in a designated quarantine dorm. Off-campus students will isolate at home.
The results of the university’s tests will be sent to the county health department and to the state, Blanton said. The university will be posting the overall results on a publicly accessible website in the next couple days.
Virtually every student interviewed said the testing process was smooth and easy to understand. However, their feelings on the upcoming fall semester were mixed.
“I think that everything will end up online before the school year is over,” said Miranda Phipps, a senior environmental science major who has all of her classes online this semester. “A lot of my friends at other universities, all of their school is online. It’s still spreading, I don’t think we’ll make it to Thanksgiving before we have to go back online.”
Best friends Sydney Maines and Chloe Denniston, both freshmen who drove down from Cincinnati to get tested Tuesday, said they were confident in UK’s COVID-19 protocols. Both were moving into a dorm together and felt safe about the process.
Almost every student said they had some reservations about what could happen at possible off-campus parties or bars. Junior Megan Shimizu said she was concerned about students not wearing masks and possibly going to parties where social distancing isn’t likely to be observed.
“Some people think they’re above that when we’re all just trying to stay safe out here,” Shimizu said.
The Movement for Black Lives University of Kentucky, a student-led group that has been pushing for on-campus police reform and greater equity for students of color, took to Twitter on Tuesday to criticize the university’s plan to “test test test.”
“Testing students one time does nothing for the inevitable parties and bars where transmission will be rapid,” wrote the group.
The university responded, writing: “This time for facts: Our team of medical professionals & researchers recommended testing for all students. That’s what we’re doing. That’s also what the country’s leading health professionals recommend. The issues you raise apply to everyone, student or not.”
The student group also raised concerns over the fact that faculty and staff are not required to be tested, writing that the university was “refusing to test faculty and staff,” which showed “the university has no interest in safety of the whole community at and around UK.”
Blanton said the university’s team of medical experts recommended required testing for students but not necessarily for employees because students are coming from a variety of locations across the nation and state. He added that employees who are symptomatic are eligible for free testing through the university.
“COVID-19 is a real threat,” the student group wrote. “Forcing students to choose to be on campus because one professor won’t change to online is reckless and endangers the bright minds on this campus.”
This story was originally published August 4, 2020 at 6:02 PM.