McLean County Times

Senator Jason Barickman praised staff at the Illinois State University for the implementation of SHIELD COVID-19 testing.

“I would like to take the time to recognize the staff who helped implement SHIELD COVID-19 testing at ISU, thank you all for allowing the students to return to the classroom safely,” Barickman wrote on Facebook.

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) wrote that SHIELD Illinois provided testing for approximately one million students and staff in K-12 schools in the last academic year.

ISU has updated information on its coronavirus policies for students: SHIELD Illinois has scaled back operations in Illinois and will no longer provide saliva-based coronavirus testing at ISU. As a result, the university is in the process of updating its on-campus coronavirus testing program.

Beginning the week of July 5, the university is planning to begin providing self-administered rapid antigen coronavirus tests at on-campus testing sites.

More information about testing site locations and availability will be provided to the campus community the week of July 5. As of July 5, only current students, faculty, and staff who are not fully vaccinated will remain eligible to participate in on-campus coronavirus testing. 

Students who are experiencing coronavirus symptoms should contact Student Health Services. Visit the McLean County Health Department for information about local coronavirus testing options. In addition, you can place an order for free at-home coronavirus tests at COVID.gov.

As a reminder, to remain compliant with the university’s testing protocol, students and employees are to participate in the on-campus coronavirus testing program at least once every seven calendar days until they are fully vaccinated, and vaccination records are on file with Student Health Services. Employees who are to participate in the on-campus testing program will also receive an email from Human Resources.

IDPH noted the deadline for schools to have testing available on the first day of school is July 15.

The university does not accept at-home coronavirus test results: According to a frequently asked question: Only coronavirus tests performed at any licensed testing facility (e.g., pharmacy, state-run testing site, healthcare facility, laboratory) are acceptable. An over-the-counter, at-home test does not meet requirements.

“We are honored to renew our partnership with the state for another school year as this pandemic continues to demonstrate a high level of unpredictability and an ongoing need for quick, reliable testing,” University of Illinois System President Tim Killeen said in a release on IDPH website.

Launched in early 2021 by Professor Emeritus of Chemistry John Baur and technical director Kim Garris, Illinois State’s lab is part of the SHIELD Illinois network and conducts PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests on saliva samples from the University community along with local community colleges, school districts, and employers such as electric carmaker Rivian — with more than 3,000 employees.

During Omicron’s peak in January 2022, ISU’s lab operated from 6 to 4 a.m. each weekday to process as many as 13,600 tests daily and a record-high 55,000 in one week, according to Professor of Neurobiology Paul Garris. Garris has served as the university’s coronavirus testing coordinator since last May.

The lab typically operates weekdays from 6 to 2 a.m. and processes around 30,000 tests each week when students are on campus, with a 24-hour — or less — turnaround time for results.