University of Missouri not mass testing students

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The University of Missouri is not testing all students for COVID-19, only those who show symptoms or are close contacts.

The university's COVID-19 plan said MU is equipped to quickly test anyone showing symptoms but will not test "mass asymptomatic individuals."

One student, Sophie Deters, said she think students should be able to get tested at anytime.

"I wish it was easier to get tested, if you wanted to go visit your family, its not easy to get tested cause you need to have symptoms or know somebody that tested positive," she said.

MU's website said mass testing could cause a high rate of inaccurate tests, leading to risky behavior among those who abandon precautions.

On the university's campus, there are two testing locations for students once they have a referral, which is required to make sure students or faculty get tested at the right time.

The latest White House "Red Zone" report said universities should post all COVID-19 data publicly.

"Establish routine testing of the student body to find cases early, prevent spread, and keep students on campus. Provide these data to students, faculty, parents, and community on public dashboard," the report said.

University of Illinois mass tests student, staff, and faculty

The University of Illinois does use a mass testing approach.

A spokesperson for the university, Robin Kaler, said the university has its own saliva-based test that was developed by faculty, to test the entire population and give results within a few hours.

Kaler said all students are tested twice a week at one of the 17 testing locations on campus. Students who are at high-risk take the test three times a week, and faculty, staff and graduate students take it once a week.

All information is then posted on the university's dashboard. As of Tuesday, the University of Illinois has tested 412,470 people since the beginning of July.

Right now, the university tests about 75,000 people a week.