October 15, 2021

In Case You Missed It

COVID-19 Asymptomatic Testing Requirement Change

Based on low viral activity on campus, the compliance of our campus community with masking and our understanding of the spread of the Delta variant, we have updated our strategy for COVID-19 testing:

Mandatory, weekly testing for asymptomatic, fully vaccinated individuals is no longer required. Testing will remain available as needed.
All unvaccinated individuals are required to test twice weekly, between three and five days apart. For unvaccinated individuals who are on-site less than once a week, please see the Testing Policy for more information.
All individuals regardless of vaccination status who develop symptoms consistent with COVID-19 should test.
All residential students regardless of vaccination status are required to test if there is a positive wastewater signal in their building. It is recommended that all students and employees who have used the restroom facilities, regardless of vaccination status, in a facility with a positive wastewater signal should test.

Testing Tips

Please review these key reminders when conducting a COVID-19 test on campus.

Vending machine sample pickups end at 2 p.m. For efficient results, please submit your sample before then.
If you do not receive your test result from a self-administered vending machine test within 24 hours, please submit another sample.
For those who use the indoor test kit vending machine at Price Center, please conduct your test outside away from others.
Individuals who have been diagnosed with a COVID-19 infection should not test for 90 days after the initial positive test.

COVID-19 Monitoring Dashboard

In the near future all students, faculty, and staff will receive daily campus notices regarding potential building exposure locations. In this notification, students and campus employees will be directed to the Potential Exposure Location Dashboard that identifies buildings where positive individuals were present during the last 14 days. In addition, wastewater monitoring results by date and building location are posted on the COVID-19 Daily Dashboard. Please note that being present at the same location as a COVID-19 positive individual does not necessarily mean you were exposed to the virus. All close contacts are notified as soon as possible.

Upcoming Town Halls

Vacunas Contra el COVID-19 (Español)

Thursday, Oct. 21 at 11:30 a.m.

Staff Town Hall

Wednesday, Oct. 27 at 2 p.m.

Faculty and Research Town Hall

Tuesday, Nov. 2 at 2 p.m.

A cartoon from 1802 commenting on the vaccine hesitancy that happened when the smallpox vaccine was created

The history of vaccines, including hesitancy, is pointedly and painfully familiar

The SARS-CoV-2 virus has killed more than 4.5 million people worldwide in less than two years, more than 641,000 in the United States alone. While the debut of multiple effective vaccines has measurably reduced the death toll, significant segments of the population continue to resist vaccination. Looking back in history, two primary fears about vaccines have prevailed. Read the story.

Your Questions Answered

Question: Am I still considered “fully vaccinated” if I don’t get a booster shot?

Answer: Yes. The CDC states that everyone is still considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose in a two-shot series, such as the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as the J&J/Janssen vaccine.

Question: How does wastewater monitoring happen on campus?

Answer: More than 200 wastewater samplers are situated across the university—more than any in the nation—to monitor viral activity of 340 buildings. This involves testing the water and sewage that originate from toilets, showers and other plumbing systems from housing, dining and other facilities across campus

The system allows us to detect the viral activity in wastewater an average of 3-5 days earlier than an individual test. Even one asymptomatic individual in a building with several hundred residents could be identified.

Question: Who needs to conduct the daily symptom and exposure screening?

Answer: All students who are living on UC property or are coming to campus or any UC location/property are required to conduct a daily symptom and exposure screening.

All employees (staff, faculty, research, clinical) who report to work on campus are also required to conduct a daily symptom and exposure screening.

Learn more on the Testing and Screening page.

For more information, visit the Return to Learn Questions and Answers page.

If you have specific questions or would like to submit feedback about the Return to Learn program, please email rtl@ucsd.edu.

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