A view of the Oval from Thompson Library. Credit: Amal Saeed | Former Photo Editor
Ohio State is a week away from welcoming students back into classrooms, whether virtual or in person. This fall semester will see testing requirements, class changes and mandatory wearing of face masks due to the university’s precautions against COVID-19.
So, we asked our readers to submit questions they have about Ohio State’s COVID-19 response.
Some of our answers include information pulled from university press releases, websites and FAQs. But others required us to dig around and ask administrators and staff members at the university.
If you have a question you’d like answered, message us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, or comment down below.
Stay up-to-date about Ohio State’s response by following The Lantern’s COVID-19 coverage, following us on social media and subscribing to our weekly newsletter.
JoeJohns27 on Twitter asks, “With the large number of false positives out there, what will OSU do to make sure they aren’t putting students who don’t really have the virus into a quarantine situation?”
The type of COVID-19 test Ohio State conducts has a low false-positive rate.
There are two types of testing for current COVID-19 infections: antigen and molecular. The Food and Drug Administration prefers molecular testing because antigen testing has a higher rate of false-negative results — when a test comes back negative but the person actually has the disease. Ohio State uses molecular testing with a nasopharyngeal swab, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend because it’s believed that the highest concentration of the virus exists above the soft palate at the back of the nose. Ohio State is also using molecular tests that collect saliva.
The likelihood of a false-positive result — the test says someone has the disease but actually does not — is considerably low for molecular testing. The false-positive rate is 5 percent, according to a peer-reviewed paper in the British Medical Journal. The false-negative rate is between 2 and 37 percent.
Ohio State’s COVID-19 testing does not require a second test of the samples to confirm a result.
The accuracy of COVID-19 tests has not been determined yet, though. And the method of collection and the way it’s stored can affect the accuracy of the test, according to Harvard Medical School. No COVID-19 test has been approved by the FDA either; instead, the tests are being used under emergency authorization.
Denise Thole on Facebook asks if Ohio State will continue to use the “deep nasal” swab, also known as the nasopharyngeal swab. And jessiehartman on Instagram asks, “Are students who live on campus still getting tested weekly?”
The COVID-19 test Ohio State uses is molecular, which can be done either with a deep nasal swab or through saliva. According to Ohio State’s Student Health Services, the university used saliva testing for students moving into residence halls.
Yes, students living in residence halls still will be tested weekly. In an email Aug. 11, incoming University President Kristina M. Johnson announced that the university will ramp up testing capacity to conduct weekly tests for students living in residence halls. Nothing has changed since that email was sent out; the university will still be conducting weekly testing of students living in residence halls. These tests will use saliva.
The university will be conducting surveillance testing for all in-person students as well, which will require students regardless of symptoms to be tested. Each weekday, a group of 300 randomly selected students will be tested and 100 students will be tested on Saturdays at the Wilce Student Health Center. Ohio State says the university will use the results to establish a baseline positive rate which will be used to compare the ongoing positive rate on campus during the semester.
You can read more about surveillance testing here.
Jackh_34 on Instagram asks, “What is the protocol for students commuting from home? Can we come on campus and if so are we to get tested? Also, if we choose to stay away from campus for safety are we exempt from classes/exams that are in person?”
Commuter students can be called up for the random surveillance program as long as they don’t fall into a limited number of exemptions. Commuter students must also do the daily health check, Dave Isaacs, a university spokesperson, said.
If a student is taking all virtual classes, will not be on campus this semester and lives outside of Franklin County or the bordering counties, they do not need to take part in testing requirements and daily health checks. If they are going to be on campus at all, they must participate in the testing requirements and daily health checks.
According to Ohio State’s Student Life Disability Services website, students may submit a request for COVID-19 accommodations if they test positive and are in isolation; are quarantining due to exposure, symptoms or travel requirements; have a medical condition or other factors that put them at a higher risk of serious illness; live with or care for a high-risk individual or are providing care for a child whose school or care center has been closed due to COVID-19.
Accommodations may include academic flexibility, remote attendance and participation for on-campus academic requirements, on-campus housing accommodations, additional or enhanced personal protective equipment, and alternative arrangements for the mandatory face-covering requirement, according to the website.
Students should first contact their academic adviser to discuss possible schedule changes. If no changes are possible, students should submit accommodation requests to Student Life Disability Services.
Students who have already registered with Student Life Disability Services are not required to fill out a form and should contact their Access Specialist. Students who have not registered should submit a COVID-Related Accommodation Request Form. If they are making their request due to medical conditions, they must provide medical documentation. Once the request has been submitted, students should check their Buckeyemail for further instructions.
If a student is unable to be on campus, they must work with Student Life Disability Services.
margaret_hazel on Instagram asks “How many students are actually attending in person classes? Is it the same as a regular semester (~50k) or are the numbers significantly reduced in some way?”
According to university data, as of last week, 48 percent of sections are online, 31 percent are in person and 22 percent are through “blended” or hybrid approaches. From these numbers, it’s not clear how many students will be attending in-person classes.
It’s also not clear how many students will be on campus since a completely online course schedule does not necessarily mean a student doesn’t have work or meetings on campus.
BuckOH2020 on Twitter asks, “What Is OSU doing about off-campus parties”
Melissa Shivers, vice president for student life, said in a forum with the Undergraduate Student Government Aug. 6 that participating in high-risk activities, such as parties, are violations of the Together as Buckeyes Pledge. Students participating in these events, both on and off campus, may be charged with a student conduct violation.
University spokesperson Ben Johnson said in an email that “upon receiving reports of large gatherings, Student Life engages the support of Student Conduct, Off-Campus and Commuter Student Services, Columbus Public Health and OSUPD to determine the best course action for responding, which may include visiting the location or contacting student leaders if the identity of an organization is known.”
emlo06 on Twitter asks, “When and how will I be notified if someone in one of my in person classes or someone who used the same classroom tested positive?”
The university has contracted with Columbus Public Health for contact tracers to help identify and notify people who may have come in contact with students, staff and faculty who tested positive.
The university currently does not have a system in place that will notify students who have not come in contact with a classmate who has tested positive.
You can read more about the university’s plan here.
Have a question about Ohio State’s COVID-19 response? Ask it on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, or comment down below.
