March 30, 2023
Update on COVID-19 Testing
Effective April 3, 2023
IMPORTANT INFORMATION – PLEASE READ IN ITS ENTIRETY
In collaboration with the Illinois Department of Public Health and Shield Illinois, the IMSA Health Office is happy to announce that Shield saliva PCR testing will be available in the Health Office five days a week starting on Monday, April 3, 2023. Results will be sent directly to the individual or parent of students under 18 years old within 24 to 48 hours of being received at the lab.
With the daily availability of PCR testing on campus, we will no longer require all students and colleagues to take the COVID-19 test on Tuesdays. However, Shield Illinois will continue to collect specimens on Tuesday in B101 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (note the reduction in test time) for any person who has been identified as having close contact with a positive case, feels unwell, needs a test for travel purposes, or wants to continue testing regularly.
The IMSA community will continue to follow the CDC’s guidance for isolation and quarantine and IMSA’s community status and interventions guidelines. The document with these guidelines can be found on the IMSA website under the Health Services – Covid Safety Page.
We encourage the IMSA community to self-monitor for illness and notify the Health Office if they develop:
- Fever over 100.1
- Cough or shortness of breath
- Sore throat
- Runny or congested nose
- New loss of taste or smell
- Muscle aches
- Headache
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
Information for COVID Testing on Campus
Shield On-Demand testing in Health Office
- Staff and parents must create or update a Shield Portal account (see instructions below) to register the test kit and receive results.
- Self-test kits will be available in the Health Office only. Hours to self-test in the Health Office are:
- Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
- Friday, 7:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.
- Shield will pick up saliva samples daily at noon.
- We cannot accept samples on Friday after the noon pick-up.
- Results will be available in the portal 24 to 48 hours after the specimen is received at the lab
Weekly Tuesday tests in B101 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
- Staff will continue to use the QR code on their ID badge.
- Students will continue to use the testing cards with the QR code or may ask the Health Office for a QR code for their ID badge.
- Results will come to the Health Office.
- Health Office staff will only notify you if your test is positive.
March 28, 2023
The entire campus remains in GREEN status. There were 3 positive tests from March 19 through March 25.
While in green status, Shield testing will only occur on Tuesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in B101.
Masks are only required for those who came in close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 or those who have tested positive and are currently within the 6-10 day window of the positive test.
March 28, 2023
The entire campus remains in GREEN status. There were 3 positive tests from March 19 through March 25.
While in green status, Shield testing will only occur on Tuesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in B101.
Masks are only required for those who came in close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 or those who have tested positive and are currently within the 6-10 day window of the positive test.
March 21, 2023
The entire campus remains in GREEN status. There was 1 positive test from March 5 through March 11.
While in green status, Shield testing will only occur on Tuesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in B101.
Masks are only required for those who came in close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 or those who have tested positive and are currently within the 6-10 day window of the positive test.
March 7, 2023
The entire campus remains in GREEN status. There were 4 positive tests from February 26 through March 4.
While in green status, Shield testing will only occur on Tuesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in B101.
Masks are only required for those who came in close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 or those who have tested positive and are currently within the 6-10 day window of the positive test.
February 28, 2023
The entire campus remains in GREEN status. There were 4 positive tests from February 19 through February 25.
While in green status, Shield testing will only occur on Tuesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in B101.
Masks are only required for those who came in close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 or those who have tested positive and are currently within the 6-10 day window of the positive test.
February 21, 2023
The entire campus remains in GREEN status. There were 14 positive tests from February 12 through February 18.
While in green status, Shield testing will only occur on Tuesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in B101.
Masks are only required for those who came in close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 or those who have tested positive and are currently within the 6-10 day window of the positive test.
February 14, 2023
The entire campus remains in GREEN status. There were 18 positive tests from February 5 through February 11.
While in green status, Shield testing will only occur on Tuesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in B101.
Masks are only required for those who came in close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 or those who have tested positive and are currently within the 6-10 day window of the positive test.
February 7, 2023
The entire campus remains in GREEN status. There were three positive tests from January 29 through February 4.
While in green status, Shield testing will only occur on Tuesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in B101.
Masks are only required for those who came in close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 or those who have tested positive and are currently within the 6-10 day window of the positive test.
January 31, 2023
The entire campus remains in GREEN status. There were 4 positive tests from January 22 through January 28.
While in green status, Shield testing will only occur on Tuesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in B101.
Masks are only required for those who came in close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19, or those who have tested positive and are currently within the 6-10 day window of the positive test.
January 24, 2023
The entire campus remains in GREEN status. There were 6 positive tests from January 15 through January 21.
While in green status, Shield testing will only occur on Tuesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in B101.
Masks are only required for those who came in close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19, or those who have tested positive and are currently within the 6-10 day window of the positive test.
January 17, 2023
The entire campus remains in GREEN status. There was only 1 positive COVID-19 test from January 8 through January 14.
While in green status, Shield testing will only occur on Tuesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in B101.
Masks are only required for those who came in close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19, or those who have tested positive and are currently within the 6-10 day window of the positive test.
January 10, 2023
The entire campus is starting the semester in GREEN status!
While in green status, Shield testing will only occur on Tuesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in B101.
Masks are only required for those who came in close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19, or those who have tested positive and are currently within the 6-10 day window of the positive test.
December 20, 2022
The entire campus is back in GREEN status! Masks are only required for those who are close contacts of a positive case or those who have tested positive and are currently within the 6-10 day window of the positive test.
If you test positive for COVID-19 over the break, please contact Ms. Carrier, the COVID-19 Coordinator, at covid@imsa.edu with the date you began having symptoms and the day you tested positive. Ms. Carrier will contact you if necessary.
Starting January 10, Shield testing for students, staff, and faculty will only occur on Tuesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in B101.
December 13, 2022
The campus remains in GREEN status, but one hall and two wings are in the YELLOW community status. Individuals from those communities have been informed of the proper mitigations. There were a total of 9 positive tests between December 3 and December 7. Masks are only required for those identified as close contacts to someone who received a positive COVID-19 test.
Shield testing for students, staff, and faculty will still occur on Tuesdays and Thursdays in B101 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. until further notice. Masks are strongly recommended in the testing area.
December 13, 2022
The campus remains in GREEN status, but one hall and two wings are in the YELLOW community status. Individuals from those communities have been informed of the proper mitigations. There were a total of 9 positive tests between December 3 and December 7. Masks are only required for those identified as close contacts to someone who received a positive COVID-19 test.
Shield testing for students, staff, and faculty will still occur on Tuesdays and Thursdays in B101 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. until further notice. Masks are strongly recommended in the testing area.
December 6, 2022
The entire campus remains in GREEN status with 6 positive tests between November 26 and December 2. Masks are only required for those identified as close contacts to someone who received a positive COVID-19 test.
Shield testing for students, staff, and faculty will still occur on Tuesdays and Thursdays in B101 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. until further notice. Masks are strongly recommended in the testing area.
November 29, 2022
The entire campus remains in GREEN status! Masks are only required for those identified as close contacts to someone who received a positive COVID-19 test.
Shield testing for students, staff, and faculty will still occur on Tuesdays and Thursdays in B101 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. until further notice. Masks are strongly recommended in the testing area.
November 22, 2022
The entire campus is back in GREEN status! There were only 3 positive tests from November 12 through November 19. Masks are only required for those identified as close contacts to someone who received a positive COVID-19 test.
Twice a week Shield testing for students, staff, and faculty will still occur on Tuesdays and Thursdays in B101 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m until further notice. Masks are strongly recommended in the testing area.
November 15, 2022
Campus remains in GREEN status with one wing remaining in YELLOW status. There were 2 positive tests from November 5 through November 11. Students from the affected community have been notified of the proper mitigations.
Twice a week Shield testing for students, staff, and faculty will still occur on Tuesdays and Thursdays in B101 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m until further notice. Masks are strongly recommended in the testing area.
November 9, 2022
Campus remains in GREEN status with one wing in YELLOW status. There were 5 positive tests from October 29 through November 4. Students from the affected community have been notified of the proper mitigations.
Twice a week Shield testing for students, staff, and faculty will still occur on Tuesdays and Thursdays in B101 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m until further notice. Masks are strongly recommended in the testing area.
November 1, 2022
Campus remains in GREEN status with only 3 positive cases from October 22 through October 28.
Twice a week Shield testing for students, staff, and faculty will still occur on Tuesdays and Thursdays in B101 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. until further notice (with the exception of November 8 in observance of Election Day). Masks are strongly recommended in the testing area.
October 20, 2022
As a community, we have dropped below the 5% Covid positivity threshold that requires mask-wearing. The campus has been lowered back to GREEN status, effective immediately. Staff can reduce testing to once a week. If you tested Tuesday, you do not need to test today. Students will still need to test twice a week until further notice.
In the past 10 days, if you were considered in close contact with a positive case or tested positive for covid, you must continue wearing a well-fitting mask for the full 10 days. Halls 1503 and 1504 are still in outbreak status with greater than 5% positivity. All students and staff in these halls need to continue to wear a mask until the positivity rate is below 5%. You will be notified when this happens.
We thank you for your cooperation with indoor mask-wearing to help us reduce virus transmission and further outbreak status.
YEAH, TITANS!!!
Angie Shoener BSN, RN, PEL-CSN
Coordinator of Student Health Services
October 11, 2022
Currently, one hall and two wings are in the YELLOW COVID-19 community status. The rest of the campus remains in GREEN status. Students from the affected communities have been notified and instructed on proper precautions by the Health Office.
Shield Testing for students, staff, and faculty will increase to twice a week. Testing will occur on Tuesdays and Thursdays in B101 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Please make sure to wear a mask in the testing area.
October 4, 2022
For the second week in a row, the entire IMSA campus is in the Green COVID-19 community status!
Shield Testing for students, staff, and faculty is still once a week. Testing will occur on Tuesdays in B101 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Please make sure to wear a mask in the testing area.
September 27, 2022
The entire IMSA campus is now in the Green COVID-19 community status!
Shield Testing for students will go back to only once a week. Testing will occur on Tuesdays in B101 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Please make sure to wear a mask in the testing area.
September 20, 2022
Overall, the IMSA campus remains in the Green COVID-19 community status with one wing in Yellow.
Members from the affected communities have been notified of the proper mitigation measures by the IMSA Health Office.
As a precaution, Shield Testing for students will now occur on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Please make sure to wear a mask in the testing area.
September 13, 2022
Overall, the IMSA campus remains in the Green COVID-19 community status with some wings in Yellow and one hall in Orange.
Members from the affected communities have been notified of the proper mitigation measures by the IMSA Health Office.
As a precaution, Shield Testing for students will now occur on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Please make sure to wear a mask in the testing area.
August 23, 2022
On August 11, the CDC released updated COVID-19 guidelines. IMSA has modified our Quarantine and Isolation Guidelines to align with these recommendations. We will continue to use contact tracing on campus, along with our COVID-19 Mitigation Levels framework to help reduce the number of positive cases and the risk of outbreaks. We highly encourage eligible individuals to receive COVID-19 vaccinations and booster doses as a preventative measure.
Weekly SHIELD testing will be held on Tuesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in B101.
