scholarly journals Frequency and accuracy of proactive testing for COVID-19

Author(s):  
Ted Bergstrom ◽  
Carl T. Bergstrom ◽  
Haoran Li

The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus has proven difficult to control not only because of its high transmissibility, but because those who are infected readily spread the virus before symptoms appear, and because some infected individuals, though contagious, never exhibit symptoms. Proactive testing of asymptomatic individuals is therefore a powerful, and probably necessary, tool for preventing widespread infection in many settings. This paper explores the effectiveness of alternative testing regimes, in which the frequency, the accuracy, and the delay between testing and results determine the time path of infection. For a simple model of disease transmission, we present analytic formulas that determine the effect of testing on the expected number of days of during which an infectious individual is exposed to the population at large. This allows us to estimate the frequency of testing that would be required to prevent uncontrolled outbreaks, and to explore the trade-offs between frequency, accuracy, and delay in achieving this objective. We conclude by discussing applications to outbreak control on college and university campuses.

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. e0251296
Author(s):  
Alexander J. Ehrenberg ◽  
Erica A. Moehle ◽  
Cara E. Brook ◽  
Andrew H. Doudna Cate ◽  
Lea B. Witkowsky ◽  
...  

Regular surveillance testing of asymptomatic individuals for SARS-CoV-2 has been center to SARS-CoV-2 outbreak prevention on college and university campuses. Here we describe the voluntary saliva testing program instituted at the University of California, Berkeley during an early period of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in 2020. The program was administered as a research study ahead of clinical implementation, enabling us to launch surveillance testing while continuing to optimize the assay. Results of both the testing protocol itself and the study participants’ experience show how the program succeeded in providing routine, robust testing capable of contributing to outbreak prevention within a campus community and offer strategies for encouraging participation and a sense of civic responsibility.


2022 ◽  
pp. 254-266
Author(s):  
Lawrence F. Camacho ◽  
Arline E. Leon Guerrero

Higher education today is faced with many challenges. However, behind some of those challenges are potential opportunities. One in particular is the focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion, and especially the unpacking of systems and processes that are increasingly becoming more prevalent in higher education's ecosystem of support, mainly for Indigenous students. This is due in large part to the global shift in the rising diverse student populations across college and university campuses. Indigenous students are entering today's evolving college landscape with a clear sense of purpose. To take advantage of this opportunity, institutions are pivoting their support structures to also facilitate their diverse student populations and learning outcomes. They are developing programs to make sense of the Indigenous student experiences, issues, challenges, and are paying special attention to strategies and infrastructures designed to safeguard their student success.


2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (7) ◽  
pp. 635-653
Author(s):  
Serie McDougal

Colonization, enslavement, and institutionalized oppression have disrupted the relationship between the educational experiences of Black students and the fate of African/Black communities. Research has shown that Africana studies has demonstrated the capacity to realign the education of Black students in higher education, leading to the advancement of communities of African descent. This analysis aims to present Africana studies catalytic consciousness theory as a framework for determining the effects of taking Africana studies classes on students who self-identify as being of African descent on college and university campuses—particularly at institutions where they are underrepresented. The main elements of the effects of Africana studies are illustrated through the lens of the Dagara cosmic wheel and its elements: fire, water, earth, mineral/stone, and nature/vegetation.


2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 158-172
Author(s):  
John P. Williams

Abstract This article examines the origins and contributions of the Freedom of Speech Movement (fsm) at the University of California, Berkeley (September-December 1964) that led to widespread social activism on other college and university campuses throughout the us. This article highlights the role of Mario Savio and other participants in the fsm while linking these efforts to the civil rights movements of the late 1950s and early 1960s. The essence of the fsm and its contribution to social activism by middle-class college and university students can be seen in the primary sources provided by Free Speech Movement Digital Archives.


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