Complete your daily Safe Start Health Check screening.
COVID-19 PCR testing is available for diagnosis and surveillance of SARS CoV-2. For students seeking testing due to symptoms, known close contact exposure, or just concerned please call the SHC at 206-296-6300. Your health insurance can be billed by the test lab.
For students tested for surveillance testing they may schedule through the patient portal for the mass test clinics in the Murphy garage. Students who are selected for surveillance testing do not provide health insurance information.
Seattle University has started a COVID-19 surveillance testing program. This is one step the university is taking to mitigate and monitor the spread of COVID-19 in our community. A surveillance testing program means that samples of students will be selected and tested for COVID-19 who don’t have symptoms or known exposure to the virus. The purpose of this type of testing program is to allow the university to monitor and address prevalence of COVID-19 on campus and make timely decisions on intervention and response such as identifying asymptomatic cases for isolation.
Testing will primarily be through a mass test clinic format on Wednesday and Thursday in the Murphy garage. Limited appoitnments are available for those students unable to make either test clinic that week. The test is a self-collected swab from the front part of the nose but observed by a healthcare provider. If a student is selected, they will be notified via their university email to schedule a date and time, along with instructions for next steps. This is a required program. There will be no cost to students participating in the testing through the Seattle University Student Health Center.
SURVEILLANCE TESTING PROCESS
Students who have been selected for surveillance testing will receive an email notifying them of being selected.
WHO DOES NOT NEED TO TEST
FAQs
Can I opt-out of testing?
There are only a few reasons why students may be able to opt-out of testing:
If you believe you meet criteria to opt out of the COVID test, please contact the SHC staff through Medicat secure messaging
Is testing required?
Yes, this is a required program. There will be no costs to students participating in the surveillance testing through the SU SHC.
What if I want to get tested somewhere else?
If preferred, you may be tested by another source within a week of the email notification. Students must share the results with Seattle University. The city of Seattle has many free testing sites with appointments available on weekends. Testing is usually free at these sites but SU will not reimburse for any costs resulting from testing done at alternative facilities. If you chose this option, upload your results to the Medicat portal (same process as pre-arrival test results) and send a secure message to the SHC staff to notify them
Who will be eligible to be assigned for testing?
All students living in SU housing as well as students attending in person classes/labs or accessing campus. You may be selected to test more than one time throughout the quarter.
Can students volunteer for the testing protocol?
No, not as part of the surveillance program. If you want to be tested voluntarily instead, please contact the Student Health Center for an appointment.
How will students be selected?
Samples will be pulled on a weekly basis. Students will be contacted by SU email Friday evening with detailed directions.
How do I find out about my results?
If you don’t hear from the SHC within 3 days your results were negative
If your test is positive, you will be notified by the SHC
What if I don’t get tested?
Failure to respond and schedule a test may result in a registration and transcript hold as well as a loss of access to university spaces and a referral to the Office of Student Conduct & Integrity Formation.
What if a student has documentation that they have tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies or have previously tested positive for COVID-19?
If they have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 90 days, they should upload their documentation to Medicat. Not all COVID testing is accepted. For example, antibody testing is not accepted.
Fall Pre-arrival COVID testing requirement
Purpose
For all students who will be on campus fall quarter in any capacity to be tested in a 2-3 week period prior to start of fall quarter. This testing will give us a starting point and knowing all students accessing campus tested negative for COVID-19 in a specific time period prior to the start of fall quarter.
Who needs to be tested
Any undergraduate, graduate, or law student who plans to be physically on the campus
For example:
Timing of Test
Required Test
PCR for SARS CoV-2 that has received FDA EUA (emergency use authorization) - nasopharyngeal, anterior nasal, saline nasal rinse, saliva, etc
Required Documentation
Lab reports will be needed which include:
Management of Results
All students will need to upload the results to patient portal under “immunizations” (for detailed steps see FAQ below)
Students moving onto campus are required to bring a hard copy of the results to show at the time they are checking into their room
Where to get tested
Must be checked into the testing center prior to 3:45 for same day testing
You can get tested once you arrive in Seattle, see testing site resources above. If you are moving into campus housing you will need to quarantine until a negative result is received.
Yes, but you will need to quarantine until the test results are received. If results come back negative you can end quarantine, if they come back positive you will be moved to a room for isolation.
Yes, you can self-quarantine off campus with friends or family but please notify housing of your plan and arrange for a new move-in time.
The purpose of the testing is to have students tested right before the start of Fall quarter. Although we’ve had students on campus this summer the density has been much lower than it will be during fall quarter and most of the campus has been closed.
Healthcare systems and facilities have different policies regarding who can be tested for COVID-19 due to their laboratory capacity and PPE supplies. For alternate sites to your healthcare provider, please see “Where to get tested” above.
Many insurance companies are still covering COVID testing at 100% for any reason but others are beginning to distinguish those with symptoms and identified risk from those being screened and may have a more general exposure risk. I would recommend checking with your insurance company to see what they are currently covering.
Yes, as long as it is a PCR for SARS CoV-2 and has FDA approval. Some of the rapid tests are antigen tests which would not be accepted at this point. The important part with the rapid tests are to make sure you are able to get a report that has the test information along with results.
No, antibody testing does not meet the requirement due to lack of information about the significance of positive antibodies. It is unknown how long immunity to SARS CoV-2 lasts or what level the antibodies need to be to confer that immunity.
If you tested positive for COVID-19 June 7th or later you do not need to get retested during this time period. This is due to studies showing RNA for SARS-CoV-2 can still be detected in someone’s respiratory specimens for up to 12 weeks although they are no longer contagious.
If this is your situation please upload your positive test results to patient portal and notify the student health center through secure messaging. If you are still symptomatic you should not come to campus until you are no longer contagious.
Students who think they had COVID-19 but didn’t not have laboratory proof are still required to submit a negative COVID-19 test.
To submitt results you will need to go to the SU medical portal and submit under Immunizations.
For detailed step by step guidance please see:nSTEPS FOR SUBMITTING COVID TEST RESULTS
A person who is tested within 3 months of the initial infection with COVID-19 (as represented by the positive test) may continue to have a positive test result even though they are not spreading COVID-19. Per the CDC, available data indicate that persons with mild to moderate COVID-19 remain infectious no longer than 10 days after symptom onset, this is also the case for those with no symptoms.
SU management and recomendations to students who test positive for COVID-19 are:
A person with severe disease may need to follow different guidance but they will likely be hospitalized and closely followed by their healthcare provider who will determine when it is safe to discontinue isolation.
If you are coming onto campus for a quick drop off or pick up then you do not need to submit a COVID test. But please remember to complete the Safe Start Health Check prior to coming to campus for the quick visit.