ABOVE: An individual submits a saliva test at the University of Illinois
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign announced in June that when students, faculty, and staff returned to campus for the fall semester, every individual would undergo rapid saliva testing for COVID-19 twice a week in order to swiftly quell any outbreaks. To process the 20,000 tests conducted each day, the university repurposed its veterinary lab. To take the test, a person only needs to spit into a tube, then the sample is heated for 30 minutes and scientists add chemical reagents to prepare the sample for RT-qPCR. Each test costs $10. The school budgeted $6 million for startup costs and up to $10 million for testing throughout the semester.
The initiative is supported by a cell phone app that immediately notifies individuals of their test results and can alert them if they’ve been in close contact with ...
