Let’s save lives: Why students should get tested

The Coronavirus disease, also known as COVID-19, has disrupted many aspects of regular life, forcing schools to continue online during the prior Spring semester as well as terminating many physical graduations. This pandemic has altered the norms of society, with those in public spaces being required to wear a mask and stay 6 feet away from others. For students at Southern, if you’re worried about potential exposure to COVID-19, there are resources to get confirmation on your status.
Since the beginning of August, the university has been offering free COVID-19 testing, as a collaborative effort with local, state and federal officials. This has been taking place at the F.G Clark Activity Center Parking Lot and the Baranco-Hill Student Health Center, initially available every weekday from 9am-6pm, though their hours have been shortened to 9am-4pm due to lack of students utilizing this resource.
Taking 2-5 days for results to be processed, these tests are far more accurate than the rapid tests – which provide results in 24 hours or less – and therefore are less likely to produce false results. The typical method – which involves a cotton swab being inserted up the nostrils – is preferable to other testing methods because it really collects well. Every testing site is different, and therefore experiences with outside testing centers can not be accurately compared to the methods used here at Southern. Workers are allowing the patients to have control and collect what they need from the cotton swabs themselves.
Testing for the COVID-19 is important, as some carriers may be asymptotic – meaning they do not show symptoms of the virus – and therefore may pass it unknowingly. The virus can also affect carriers differently, depending on the strength of their immune system. Further, the Flu increases in prominence during the winter, and it’s symptoms can be extremely similar to the coronavirus. Let’s just help each other by staying healthy, social distancing, and masking up Jaguars!