The University of Michigan COVID-19 Community Sampling and Tracking Program is an opt-in, voluntary program that will actively monitor levels of COVID-19 in the U-M community. The program launched Sept. 3 and is open to all U-M students who live in on-campus or off-campus housing, and faculty and staff, including Michigan Medicine employees, who work on the Ann Arbor campus at least once per week.
Emily Martin, associate professor of epidemiology at the U-M School of Public Health, says one of the biggest benefits of doing community sample testing is gaining a systematic picture of what is going on with the disease in the community.
“One of the most important pieces of this is that we want to find out how the virus is impacting all of our community, not just those parts of our community that will typically come in for testing or have really good access to care,” Martin says.
She explains that this type of testing helps public health experts look for warning signs of where targeted interventions might be needed. Martin adds that community sampling and tracking is just one component of a larger strategy to help understand how the virus is changing on campus and determine the best ways to respond.
“We can take all of these different pieces of data to try to figure out not only where we are now, but where we are going in the future, and what we need to be particularly mindful of and be prepared to respond to,” she says. “Systematic surveillance testing programs are good for informing and taking care of the health of the whole community.”
Martin explains how the program works. Once individuals signs up for the program, they will be alerted when they should be tested. Instructions will be provided at that time, she explains. Data from the program will be available to those responding on the ground to the virus, and also to the U-M community.
Martin emphasizes that this program is not a replacement for symptomatic testing or medical care.
Hear more from Martin in this episode of Michigan Minds.
Read more in the University Record
Learn more about the program at campusblueprint.umich.edu/monitoring-testing
