Can Alabama College Students Skip The Next Phase Of Coronavirus Testing? Maybe.
GuideSafe, an initiative that tested 75,000 Alabama college students prior to classes, will roll out its next round of testing for the novel coronavirus.
The next phase is sentinel testing, in which up to 5% of students, faculty and staff will be randomly chosen for weekly testing. GuideSafe piloted the program at a few schools like the University of Alabama at Birmingham in late July. It will now be expanded to about 50 campuses across the state.
“What the school will be able to do [with sentinel testing] is see a snapshot for every week of what’s happening on campus,” said Bob Phillips, the executive director of GuideSafe, which was developed by a team of health informatics experts at UAB.
But do students, faculty and staff have to participate? Well, it’s complicated.
GuideSafe is recommending that campuses require participation, but ultimately, Phillips said, the decision “resides with the institution and their policies and protocols.”
Currently, at UAB sentinel testing is voluntary for most of the campus community. But some students are required to participate if they’re selected. This includes students who live on campus, participate in intramural club sports or are members of registered student organizations that hold in-person meetings with 10 or more people.
Either way, Phillips said they’re “strongly encouraging” participation even if the school isn’t requiring it.
“We really need a high level of participation,” Phillips said. “When those individuals get invited to participate, we need them to test because the best way to have a robust sample is to have a high level of participation.”
Editor Note: UAB holds WBHM’s broadcast license, but our news and business departments operate independently.
Opinion: The Pope wants priests to lighten up
A reflection on the comedy stylings of Pope Francis, who is telling priests to lighten up and not be so dour.
The FDA restricts a psychoactive mushroom used in some edibles
The Food and Drug Administration has told food manufacturers the psychoactive mushroom Amanita muscaria isn't authorized for food, including edibles, because it doesn't meet safety standards.
The jury’s in: You won’t miss anything watching this movie from the couch
There's been a bit of consternation flying around about the fact that the theatrical release of Juror #2, directed by Clint Eastwood, was very muted. But this movie is perfect to watch at home.
People power’s unfinished work: Can Bangladesh be an exception?
The Wilson Center's Michael Kugelman says that for many Bangladeshis, a successful youth-led mass movement has shattered a long malaise and kindled a newfound optimism about the country's future.
Latinos are the fastest-growing fanbase in the NFL. What’s the league’s playbook?
The NFL is reaching more Latinos than ever. Here's how they've scored with a Spanish-speaking audience.
A pair of satellites will create artificial solar eclipses to study the sun
Astronomers hope the Proba-3 mission will help them get a better view of the corona, the sun's outer atmosphere, which is even hotter than the sun's surface.
