Randomized COVID-19 testing: Is it effective?

On September 27, Stevens informed students that they would be implementing randomized COVID-19 testing on campus. The email explained that this was at the request of the Faculty Senate, despite there being “no evidence that randomized testing decreases the spread of COVID-19 in a community that is fully vaccinated according to Hackensack Meridian Health, Stevens’ medical advisor, and guidance from the CDC.” Stevens is amongst other highly accredited universities in implementing a randomized testing policy even with a largely vaccinated campus population.

Many schools, including Nebraska University implemented randomized COVID-19 testing in 2020 when most individuals were not vaccinated on campus. Stevens had a more strict testing policy last year, with all students who were on campus being tested once a week. Athletes who were in season were being tested three times a week. This trend continues into this year, with Stevens beginning the new randomized testing policy despite having a majority vaccinated population.

Starting this semester, New York University (NYU) is also randomly testing all students regardless of vaccination status “for assessing COVID-19 incidence on campus.” Columbia University has also implemented a similar program of ongoing surveillance testing. Columbia’s statement explains that the amount of students chosen for testing will depend on “the status of the pandemic, and other virological and epidemiological data from the campus and the City.” NYU, Columbia, as well as Stevens are requiring participation from all community members regardless of vaccination status.

Brown University has a different approach to randomized testing on campus. They are only requiring undergraduate students, regardless of vaccination status, to participate in this program. Faculty and staff as well as graduate and medical students who are fully vaccinated can elect whether or not they would like to participate.

These different approaches may vary due to the locations of these institutions. Stevens, NYU, and Columbia are in more urban areas which allow for contacts outside of the university, increasing the risk of spreading COVID-19. Brown is not as immersed in city-life as these other schools, which may have influenced them to choose a different testing policy.

As Stevens stated in their email to students, there is no current data to support or disprove whether or not randomized COVID-19 testing is effective in mitigating the spread of the virus and its variants. Schools like Stevens, NYU, Columbia, and Brown are currently collecting the evidence that will eventually help experts better understand the spread of COVID-19 amongst vaccinated communities. The different testing methods at each school may help experts better understand which, if any, are most effective in slowing the spread of COVID-19. 

For more information on COVID-19 and ways to stay safe and healthy, visit https://www.cdc.gov/.