IGI COVID-19 Testing Enters New Phase

The IGI and University Health Services are partnering to enable in-house collection and processing of all asymptomatic COVID-19 testing on campus.

The IGI is entering a new phase in its COVID-19 testing efforts, partnering with University Health Services (UHS) to provide free asymptomatic testing for all UC Berkeley students, staff, and faculty. This will allow the campus to provide an in-house testing service without the costs of relying on an outside lab. 

This new effort builds on the expertise of both groups to help slow the spread on campus and in the community. UHS will oversee the collection of samples through supervised, self-administered nasal swab testing. The IGI is processing these tests on campus through a PCR lab test, pooling four samples per lab run to increase capacity and cost-efficiency of testing. Test results will continue to take up to 72 hours. Anyone who has a positive result will be called within 24–48 hours.

The IGI previously conducted an asymptomatic COVID-19 testing trial through the IGI FAST study, which ended on October 31 and involved a non-invasive, saliva-based test. The results from that study will be fully available in the near future (see preprint here), but are already informing the campus’ transition to supervised, self-administered testing across campus, removing the need for clinicians to administer every test.

For more information on asymptomatic testing at UC Berkeley, visit the UHS Campus Surveillance Testing page and watch the video below to learn how fast and easy self-swab testing is. Appointments are required for testing and can be booked through eTang.

Media Contact
Andy Murdock: andymurdock@berkeley.edu