Is West Liberty testing students for COVID-19 in an effective way?
As COVID-19 continues to linger like an annoying toothache, campus-wide testing has become a necessary precaution for West Liberty students. While it is essential to test as many students as possible in order to gain a handle on this reckless pandemic, the way in which the testing is being performed is almost as confusing as the virus itself. Is the testing going to be as effective as anticipated? The outlook is grim.
Testing is set to take place on campus every Tuesday with a new group of students being tested each time. With only a handful of Tuesdays left in the semester, some students will not be tested until it is almost too late.
“I don’t even have to get tested until Nov. 17; which is only six days before we leave for break. I’m just confused on the logic behind it… why even bother testing students at all if you aren’t going to test the whole campus at the same time? And why wait until so close to break before we return home to all of our families possibly putting them at risk? It doesn’t make much sense to me and it’s kinda concerning,” says Junior West Liberty Elementary Education major Shaelee Monroe.
Only testing certain students once a week is an ineffective manor of identifying those students with the virus. The individuals not being tested until later in the month of November are just as likely to have the virus as students getting tested in the earlier weeks. The students getting tested earlier will receive results quickly, but others will be roaming around campus freely until their testing date; possibly infecting others around them unknowingly. This could result in a spike in cases just before students return home for the holidays. Yikes!
The campus testing strategy taking place deserves reevaluation. If changes are not considered immediately, I am afraid the outcome will not go according to plan.
How many students at West Liberty University have COVID? The world may never know.