@ShenVal18 Has the prevalence testing begun yet? I know they said 2,000 appointments would be available as of 9/21.
@GKUnion My son was chosen for random testing. Got the email last week, tested today at Lane.
@rbc2018 I hope heâs negative, good luck.
Iâm not being smug ⊠I went to JMU. It is their handling and preparation that are the laughable part ⊠I mean they sent the kids home because they didnât have adequate preparation to handle. Sending home is the absolute worst thing you can do after having them come and possibly be exposed.
@rbc2018 I was also chosen to go get testing this week. I actually went the same day as your son. Wasnât too bad. I am concerned about how long the test results will take to get back. Did he remember hearing anything about that timeline? Definitely hoping Iâm negative, especially considering that I havenât had any of the usual symptoms and one of my roommates already got COVID back in March.
Also, my only in-persons lab was pushed online. There was a rumor going around that someone in the lab mightâve tested positive, so it was better to be safe than sorry. And Iâve also heard speculation that Tech plans to pretty do the exact same thing for the spring semester, but try and offer more in-person class options.
@ak2018 From what Iâve heard, 2-3 days is pretty typical, so hopefully youâll get good news tomorrow!
Everyone I have heard from who has been tested has confirmed 2 business days for results.
Some addâl positive news - âhigh contactâ staff and student testing is ramping up starting 10/5 with goal to test them every 2 weeks, and NRVHD released a statement that there has been no measurable community spread from students. (If you are a student reading this⊠keep wearing your mask!).
This is literally the first sentence under âInfo For Students, Parents and Staffâ of the VT Covid-19 Relocation Protocol:
** If you test positive, or if Schiffert Health Center deems it necessary for you to relocate to quarantine space while being evaluated for COVID-19, the first question to ask is if you are able to return home or not. If thatâs possible, we highly recommend it, as you will likely be more comfortable at home with folks who can care for you.**
I only bolded it because VT did.
Honestly, just do the math. A student that tests positive goes to quarantine for 14 days. Those students exposed to Covid positive students go to isolation dorms. If there have been 247 positive test results in the last 14 days, but there are a total of only 82 students in both on campus quarantine and isolation combined, where did the all the other Covid positive and exposed students go?
JMU wasnât prepared, that is an incontrovertible fact. That being said, VT is sending Covid positive students home, just not so publicly. Sadly, JMU has a better understanding of total Covid positives because they report the off campus cases, but theyâre being chastised for their transparency.
All student test results that are processed through Schiffert include on-campus and off-campus results.
I think allowing positive students to isolate/quarantine at home is fairly typical. I think the objection earlier to JMUâs approach was that they had a spike and sent every student back to their community when maybe some of them hadnât been tested yet?
At any rate, I have a kid at another university (not in VA) who tested positive and came home to isolate (away from the rest of the family). No symptoms, thank goodness, and no spread.
@rbc2018 I actually tested negative, but received a phone call rather than an email, which initially worried me since Schiffert said they would only do phone calls for positive cases.
@ak2018 My son also got a call (negative result) late this afternoon. So it looks like about 2.5 days for notification (he tested early on Tuesday). Iâm glad you got good news.
To the dismay of many VT students today, Spring Break has been modified to allow for five âbreak daysâ spread out throughout the semester, rather than the full week. http://www.collegiatetimes.com/news/virginia-tech-releases-new-plans-for-spring-break-in-2021-hopes-to-reduce-spread-of/article_494084a8-122c-11eb-8045-1b34a580ec32.html
Iâve heard speculation that the reason they are spreading the 5 days out over the week days is to reserve the possibility of putting spring break back in if things improve drastically (so no matter what day of the week a class is taught, those off days would already be accounted for in the professorâs planning). Who knows. It seems a little weird to spread out 5 days off like that, and I have a feeling some students will decide to take âspring breakâ anyway.
I know many schools are trying to offer small mental health breaks while still making it difficult to travel. Odd days off, rather than long weekends, keeps students from heading home, or anywhere else for that matter.
@GKUnion Yes, that is the explanation that was given.
I think most of the studentsâ frustration comes from how the university plans to stop instructors from making assignments due the day after the break or how theyâll deter those with mostly, or all, asynchronous classes from traveling to and fro as they please. Personally, I would prefer the full week, either starting late or finishing early.
Some universities are not having spring break at all, and telling students to save it for the end of the semester (since it will end a week early). I agree, a single day here and there isnât going to feel like a break.
It seems like the course offerings for next semester are even more tilted toward online than this semester. Even the âhybridâ options this semester seemed to end up primarily remote. I understand why, but itâs such a bummer.