Coronavirus Testing at Hofstra Is Changing. Here’s How.
BY: SARAH EMILY BAUM AND LEAH CHIAPPINO
(Nov. 16 2020) — Hofstra’s testing protocols are evolving to meet new needs, university officials tell The Clocktower following probes into campus testing patterns.
The Clocktower graphed on-campus testing statistics, listed on Hofstra’s SafeStart page, in conjunction with Nassau County positivity rates over the course of ten weeks, beginning the week of Sept. 7.
Data from the Department of Health shows local infection rates have been on the rise. Following the mandatory entry tests, however, the number of surveillance tests administered by the university may at first glance appear more sporadic. The average amount of surveillance tests provided per week was 277, but throughout the school year, as seen on the graph, testing numbers rise, then drop, then rise again.
Assistant Vice President for University Relations Karla Schuster explained this is a product of the university adapting to changes in the student body and best practices recommended by New York State. “Over the course of the semester, we have adjusted our program to navigate changes in on-campus enrollment, as well as with the evolving public health situation,” Schuster said.
At the start of the school year, according to Schuster, 2,800 students were registered as fully remote. As the semester comes to a close that number has risen to 4,000, almost doubling what it was at the start of the semester. She added that the actual number may be even higher, as some students don’t formally inform administration of the switch -- they simply tell professors, who have been encouraged to rule leniently in that regard.
“What we found is that when we send emails about surveillance testing to students, they email us back and say they’re never on campus,” Schuster said. The university didn’t identify one singular factor to be the driving force behind this shift.
New York State guidelines recommend surveillance testing encapsulate 5% of the on-campus population. Fewer students on campus means that threshold drops, requiring fewer tests.
Schuster also said the university was modifying its testing protocols to work with students’ schedules and boost compliance. At the start of the year, students were called to test at an assigned time slot, which would fall on one or two days of operation.
Now testing is performed four days per week, and when a student is called they can sign up for a time slot that works for them. This was a large factor in the momentary drop in testing which occurred the week of Oct. 26, Schuster said, as the university transitioned methods. The numbers replenished soon after.
Renewed testing efforts are continuing at least through the end of the semester. In an email sent to students on Oct. 31, the university announced that they would offer optional exit testing prior to winter break, which is accessible through the Hofstra portal. This update comes after a Student Media Town Hall on Sept. 30 in which Hofstra administration had originally said there were no such plans for students.
On Oct. 27, SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras announced that all students at SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities must test negative for COVID-19 within 10 days of leaving for Thanksgiving break. Several Colleges and universities across the state, including SUNY Albany, Keuka College and Syracuse University have pivoted to remote learning in recent weeks after a spike in positive cases.
In Nassau County, the positivity rate is hovering around 3%. Hofstra’s current reporting period, which runs from Nov. 7 to Nov. 20, has flagged 15 positive cases thus far -- up from last week, which documented five. This corresponds with a trend of rising reports of positive cases seen across the country.
“If the state or even Hofstra for that matter is increasing their testing efforts you should expect to find more cases. That's not because there are more people with COVID-19, it's because you are making testing accessible,” said Associate Professor of Public Health at Hofstra, Dr. Anthony Santella.
But he also warned about the loosening of social distancing nationwide as a contributing factor to the statistics. “The positivity rate is increasing because [of] COVID fatigue -- people aren't complying with the public health measures,” he said. “The public health significance of testing is important. We rely on accurate diagnostic tests to control epidemics.”
