Testing and Positive Cases

Testing supplies sitting wrapped up on a shelf
 

Testing and Positive Cases

Students with any health concerns are always encouraged to contact the Student Health Center.

If You Test Positive

Students who test positive for COVID-19 should report your result to the Student Health Center. You will receive self-care instructions for isolation and will have access to telehealth and in-person student health services through the wellness portal. Currently, CDC and Monroe County Department of Public Health isolation is a minimum of five days, with day 0 as the day of symptom onset or positive test, whichever came first. Isolation may be longer if symptoms persist. Masking is recommended for an additional 5 days.

Employees should contact their primary care physician for guidance and follow the COVID-19 Symptom/Exposure/Absence Process Information for Employees on the HR website for details on reporting requirements related to COVID-19.

Learn more about next steps on the Quarantine and Isolation webpage

Wastewater Testing

Due to the fact that the virus is shed in feces within three days of infection and symptoms can take much longer to present, wastewater testing is an important early detection tool. While a sample of wastewater cannot determine an exact number of people with COVID-19, it indicates whether incidence of the disease is increasing, decreasing, or unchanged. Following the trend of wastewater will help inform ongoing campus-wide action regarding COVID management.

At-Home Tests

Self-testing with the readily available rapid antigen tests are the primary means of COVID testing on campus. Students with symptoms or high-risk personal medical situations should consult with the Student Health Center via telephone, secure messaging or Patient Chat.

Students should report any positive test results to the Student Health Center.

Free rapid antigen self-tests are widely available. You can get tests online or in pharmacies and retail stores. Visit FDA’s website for a list of authorized tests. Health insurers will reimburse the cost of up to eight tests/month. Some pharmacies will bill the insurance directly, so there is no out-of-pocket cost. RIT students may use the Wegmans pharmacy delivery service to deliver their free tests to the Student Health Center for convenient pick-up. Instructions are available on the Student Health Center’s website.

Ongoing Student COVID-19 Test Requirements

In order to ensure the safety of our campus, RIT is conducting weekly testing of students. Testing determines campus prevalence and identifies individual cases. Students are likely to be selected for testing multiple times this semester.

If you have completed your spring circulation requirements and are approved to be on campus, you are expected to make an appointment when invited for a COVID-19 test. You will schedule your test for a day and time that is convenient for you. Invitations are sent on Sunday and testing appointments are available Monday-Saturday. If you have signed the attestation, indicating you do not plan to circulate on campus for the spring semester, you will not be expected to participate in Tiger Testing.

Students will receive an email from tigertesting@rit.edu that will “invite” students to make an appointment through CampusGroups; however, keep in mind that testing is mandatory.

During your appointment, you will conduct a painless, self-administered nasal swab test in front of a trained specialist. We are administering two types of tests on campus: a rapid antigen test or a PCR test. The email invitation will indicate which type of test that will be administered for the upcoming week of testing. RIT covers the cost of the test.

Alternate Testing and Exemptions

Students may choose to schedule a test off-campus if that is best for their schedule. Students testing at an off campus site will be required to complete the COVID-19 Alternate Testing and Exemption Form to notify RIT of their intended testing plans. They will then be required to submit their COVID-19 test result. Instructions will be sent to the student via email upon completion of the COVID-19 Alternate Testing and Exemption Request Form.

Students in isolation or quarantine and students who tested positive in the past 90 days will be exempt from testing.

Learn more about alternate testing and exemptions

Testing Process and Compliance

A campus-wide testing effort to identify individual cases and determine the prevalence of COVID-19 is underway. Students who are invited to participate in a Tiger Testing window are required to sign up for a testing time and show up for the test. Any students who fail to report for testing are considered non-compliant for this requirement. RIT has built a scaled response plan, which includes system access interruption (including MyCourses and Zoom) and referrals to the Student Conduct Office, which may lead to suspension or removal from housing, for those not in compliance.

Students Experiencing Symptoms

This testing is not intended for those who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. Students experiencing symptoms should contact the Student Health Center at 585-475-2255 or log into the RIT Wellness Portal to access the patient chat.


Tiger Testing Frequently Asked Questions

Tiger Testing is mandatory for all students, including those who live on and off campus, who are approved to circulate on campus for the spring semester. This does not include students who have signed the attestation through the Spring Circulation Plan process, indicating they will not be on campus for any reason during the spring semester.

Students may choose to get tested at an off-campus location, but are required to submit their test results. To begin this process, students must complete the COVID-19 Alternate Testing and Exemption Request Form. They will then be required to submit their COVID-19 test results via the RIT Wellness Portal. Instructions will be sent to the student via email upon completion of the COVID-19 Alternate Testing and Exemption Request Form.

Students may choose to get tested at an off-campus location, but are required to complete the COVID-19 Alternate Testing and Exemption Request Form. They will then be required to submit their COVID-19 test results via the RIT Wellness Portal. Instructions will be sent to the student upon completion of the COVID-19 Alternate Testing and Exemption Request Form.

Students who are unable to participate in Tiger Testing must complete the COVID-19 Alternate Testing and Exemption Request Form. Requests will be reviewed by the Tiger Testing Team.  Approved alternate testing options and exemption rationales can be found on the Tiger Testing website.

We advise that you limit travel throughout the spring semester, in order to protect the health and safety of our community. If you do need to travel at any point and are unable to schedule your weekly COVID-19 test on campus, you will need to complete the COVID-19 Alternate Testing and Exemption Request Form and will be required to submit your COVID-19 test results via the RIT Wellness Portal. Instructions will be sent to the student upon completion of the COVID-19 Alternate Testing and Exemption Request Form.

RIT has been able to secure both PCR and Antigen tests for our community’s use. The two tests have different advantages and disadvantages. By using these high quality tests in combination, we can leverage the benefits of both tests. Students will not have an opportunity to select the type of test they wish to receive, however they will be notified of the type of test that they will receive in the Tiger Testing email invitation.

Find more information about Tiger Testing and schedule an appointment on the CampusGroups Tiger Testing website.

Frequently Asked Questions

We will continue with our wastewater surveillance program as it provides an early warning of changes in COVID-19 trends within our campus community.

Students who test positive for COVID-19 should report your result to the Student Health Center. You will receive self-care instructions for isolation and will have access to telehealth and in-person student health services through the wellness portal. Currently, CDC and Monroe County Department of Public Health isolation is a minimum of five days, with day 0 as the day of symptom onset or positive test, whichever came first. Isolation may be longer if symptoms persist. Masking is recommended for an additional 5 days. More information is available on the Quarantine and Isolation webpage.

Employees should contact their primary care physician for guidance and follow the COVID-19 Symptom/Exposure/Absence Process Information for Employees on the HR website for details on reporting requirements related to COVID-19.

For-cause testing is available in the Student Health Center. Telephone, secure messaging or Patient Chat are contact options. Students who live in RIT housing are required to report any positive test result to the Student Health Center.

You should test when there are any symptoms, even mild, that may be COVID-related, such as fever, headache, body aches, nausea, congestion, sore throat, or loss of smell. Wear a mask until feeling better and have two negative tests.

Also, consider testing prior to events involving close contact with others and five days after to reduce spread from those large events.

Insurance companies are required to provide 8 tests monthly to each member. Contact your pharmacy to see if you can order directly through them. Some insurers may require you to purchase tests over the counter and submit receipts to them for reimbursement.

Students are responsible for notifying professors that they are unable to attend due to illness. For COVID isolation, the secure message sent by the health center may be shared if documentation is needed. Faculty will work with each student to ensure academic continuity.

COVID-19 tests are available for purchase on campus at the Cornerstore, Global Village Market, and RIT Inn.