By Daniela Tovar-Miranda
Staff Writer
Dominican University has numerous COVID self-testing kits available for students, staff Irregardless of vaccination status.
The self-testing kits are easy to use, packaged with instructions and the necessary equipment for the test. The bag contains a vial with solution, a swab, test instruction, and instructions to register online to receive the test results. The kits can be picked up at any Welcome and Information Desk (WID) desk on campus. Three secure drop-off locations are located outside the Campus Safety office, the Wellness Center, and at the entrance of the east parking lot.
“Dominican has made it extremely easy to use the self-testing kits to test for COVID,” says junior Jeremy Davidson. “It has been an organized process and very easily accessible. There are multiple locations to pick up the test and I feel as if it has helped campus become a safer place for everyone.”
FedEx picks up the tests every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The tests are then delivered within a few hours to the lab, where results are made available the next day.
Students and the Wellness Center have access to the results online. If a student tested positive, they must quarantine. The university’s guidelines say that if an infected student lives within the two-hour distance of Dominican, they should quarantine at home. However, there are also designated quarantine rooms in Murray Hall.
To take the test, students have to swab each of their nostrils in a circular motion five times. Then they dip their cotton swab into the vial with solution for a few seconds. This is similar to the testing process that students saw last year at the peak of the pandemic.
Students who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 have to be tested weekly, with many using Dominican’s services, but other services are welcomed as well.
“Exempted students have to test weekly, they don’t necessarily have to test at Dominican, they can test at CVS or another place, but they must upload their results every Monday,” says Elizabeth Ritzman, director of the Wellness Center.
Since the start of the Fall 2021 semester, a total of 112 students have submitted exemptions. However, according to Ritzman, this does not represent the current number of unvaccinated students due to factors such as students deciding to get vaccinated after submitting their exemption, students withdrawing from the semester, etc.
In order to get exempted, an individual needs to meet with a health care provider to get informed on their options, and then get their exemption waiver signed. Exemptions can be given due to religious or health reasons.
Students who have in person classes on campus or are residents were required to get vaccinations or exemptions.
dtovarmiranda@my.dom.edu
