Some UNC students worry about getting COVID tests before clinic closes for the weekend
As COVID-19 cases are quickly rising at UNC-Chapel Hill, more students are rushing to get tested. But some say they’re facing long lines, no open appointments and confusion about how to get a test.
UNC-CH reported a spike of 100 new cases in two days heading into the weekend, when social activity is high and testing isn’t available. More than 350 cases have been reported among students and employees since Aug. 1, with at least one cluster in a dorm, the UNC-CH COVID-19 dashboard shows.
“Here we go again,” junior Greear Webb said.
Students are in limbo, he said, because they are worried they may have contracted some of the spreading cases, but might have to wait until Monday to get a test on campus.
They are “frustrated they can’t get a test whenever they want,” Webb said.
Students concerned about testing availability
In light of the rise in campus COVID-19 cases, the university notified students in multiple residence halls that they should be tested at the clinic at the Carolina Union on campus, as soon as possible. That testing site is primarily for asymptomatic students who are not vaccinated to participate in surveillance testing.
On Friday, students said there were no appointments available and there was sometimes a line all the way out the door at the testing center for walk-ins.
That line wasn’t there all day, though, and students seemed to move through the testing process quickly on Friday afternoon. The area is likely crowded between classes and at lunchtime with lulls during class times.
UNC-CH has ample “resources and availability for students to be tested” and processed 1,600 tests Thursday, the university media relations team said in an email.
They said the wait is about 10 minutes during class change on average, and there is no wait during classes.
“We designed the clinic testing hours based on the advice of our medical experts, and we target the hours to when our campus is most likely to use the clinic,” the statement said.
Still, the schedule can be inconvenient for students who are taking classes and working during the week.
The testing site closes early on Friday and is not open on Saturdays and Sundays. So, the first opportunity for many students to get a COVID-19 test is Monday. That concerns some students because weekends include social activities where the virus is likely to spread.
“A little bit ridiculous that UNC’s only testing site closes at 2 p.m. today and doesn’t open at all this weekend as case count and student anxiety rise,” junior Claire Perry tweeted on Friday.
Sophomore Sneha Pasupula shared Perry’s tweet saying she wanted to go after her first class for precaution, “but the line is so long id be safer not going ...”
And the testing site was closed by the time her second class ended.
Pasupula said she’s vaccinated but gets tested every week to be safe, especially given how crowded campus can be. She’s concerned, but not surprised by the outbreaks
“It’s unfortunate that you can’t avoid exposure,” Pasupula said.
Where and when can students get tested?
Students who are asymptomatic can make an appointment or walk in to the Carolina Together Testing Center at the student union near Davis Library.
They are advised to bring their phone to access HallPass, which tracks their test results. Parking is available in the Undergraduate Library Parking Lot.
The testing center schedule:
▪ Mondays and Wednesdays from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
▪ Tuesdays and Thursdays: 7 a.m.-5 p.m.
▪ Fridays: 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
▪ Saturdays and Sundays: Closed
Students with COVID-19 symptoms should not go to the union for testing, and instead, contact Campus Health.
When symptomatic students go online to make an appointment they may see that all testing appointments are full, because Campus Health reserves a number of appointments for non-COVID related care, according to UNC-CH spokesperson Joanne Peters Denny.
Those students can call Campus Health seven days a week, and they will be provided an appointment based on their symptoms, she said. Students can also walk into Campus Health for testing, but there may be a wait based on current student demand.
Students with symptoms or who are identified as close contacts to someone who has tested positive can get tested over the weekend.
The university has “plenty of testing supplies and staff,” Peters Denny said.
Need for more testing
Last spring, UNC-CH had three locations for COVID-19 testing, when all students were required to participate in regular testing. This fall, unvaccinated students are tested twice weekly and vaccinated students can skip the testing. It’s still available for them if they think they may have been exposed.
Students who are required to quarantine or isolate due to COVID-19 are eligible for an approved absence, and the university has encouraged faculty to be flexible in making arrangements for students to access course materials and makeup work.
Professors cannot change a class’s mode of instruction for the semester from in-person to remote without formal accommodation through the Equal Opportunity and Compliance Office. And requests to temporarily move a class online, or switch to a hybrid format, must be approved by the department chair and academic dean of the school or college.
On Twitter, some students were subtly thanking professors for giving them a virtual option on Zoom.
Webb said UNC should consider doing weekly testing for students even if they’re vaccinated.
“Even if their symptoms aren’t that bad, students should be required to test weekly so we have better tracking mechanisms and keep things more safe,” Webb said.
He said it’s a solution the university can implement today to help curb breakthrough cases among vaccinated people.
“It’s a little frustrating that we see the continuation of hesitancy or lack of willingness to implement the most transparent measures, most supportive measures for students,” Webb said.
This story was originally published August 27, 2021 at 3:10 PM with the headline "Some UNC students worry about getting COVID tests before clinic closes for the weekend."
