About the COVID-19 Early Detection Program
Overview
The MSU COVID-19 Early Detection Program has been designed to create a campus-wide net that provides two primary benefits:
Secure and timely test data that provides the COVID-19 status of campus community members at the highest risk of transmission. This enables individuals to protect themselves and each other from spread.
The generation of actionable, quality population level data, so that university leaders can make critical, informed, and immediate decisions regarding the health and safety of MSU’s people and places.
Who Can Participate?
- Undergraduate students living on campus, coming to campus for in-person coursework, or working on campus must participate in the program.
- Professional students from the Colleges of Human, Osteopathic and Veterinary Medicine that come to campus must also participate.
- Other students, faculty and staff in the East Lansing area may voluntarily join this program to play a crucial role in enhancing the health and safety of everyone in the Spartan community.
How Does It Work?
Participants register for the program and must choose their recurring preferred day for weekly testing. Each week, participants will be reminded to pick up a Spartan Spit Kit, follow the steps to provide a sample, then return their bagged sample vial, to one of several locations on campus.
Sample status and progress through the system can be tracked by logging on to the new Spartan Health Check site (MSU NetID required). Participants will receive a text and email notification when results are available on the new Spartan Health Check site (coming soon). Three results are possible; NO ACTION REQUIRED and does not need further clinical assessment, POSITIVE, or REJECTED as the sample could not be processed for quality reasons. Learn more about what these mean on the Frequently Asked Questions page.
Scan the QR code to register
- Participants register by using this link, clicking the button below, or scanning the QR code.
- Participants will answer the questions and sign to the consent which outlines the program’s purpose, processes, and health data protection measures.
- At regular intervals (currently weekly) during the spring semester, participants will receive a notice via text or email to pick up a Spit Kit at any one of several locations around campus.
- Once the Spit Kit has been picked up, participants will take it home and follow the directions on the box to produce a sample. The sample is easy to provide - it's basically just spitting into a tube.
- The sample must be registered on the program's website using the code on the sticker on the sample tube. Participants identity will be encrypted during processing to maintain their privacy. Personal identifiers will remain confidential in the MSU Data Warehouse and will not be shared with those analyzing the de-identified data.
- Participants secure their sample and drop it at any of the many collection points on campus.
- Once the sample is collected, processed, and analyzed, participants will be notified to visit Spartan Health Check to view their status.
- Those who are positive will be asked to immediately isolate and be connected with health/medical resources for next steps. Possible results include:
- NO ACTION REQUIRED (not recommended for further clinical assessment)
- POSITIVE (the University Physician will reach out to those who receive a positive result)
- REJECTED (due to quality issues with the sample)
Wondering how the test works?
Learn more about the COVID-19 Early Detection Program's "spit testing" from Professor Jack Lipton, as he presents a project overview to the MSU Board of Trustees in September 2020.