Did Champ’s quarantine lift too soon? Experts question immediate testing
Marist College temporarily quarantined all students in Champagnat Hall on Wednesday after some residents came into contact with a positive COVID-19 carrier at an off-campus party. The college immediately locked down the hall that evening and required students to attend class virtually the following day –– but at 10:20 a.m. on Thursday, an email to students announced the quarantine had been lifted.
The email attested that the previously-referenced students in the hall had tested negative. Despite the college’s “swift and impressive response,” according to local health officials, this action begs the question: did Marist test students too soon?
According to a new study from Johns Hopkins researchers, getting tested for COVID-19 too early can induce a false negative test and give the individual a false sense of security. Dr. Christopher Ohl, a professor of infectious diseases, said that even a negative test result “doesn't get you out of quarantine.” Ohl added that if tests are administered too soon, subjects might feel emboldened to interact with others without necessary protection. They could develop the illness days later.
Dr. Melissa Schiskie, the director of Health Services, declined the Circle’s request for comment.
Marist requires all students to wear masks inside and outside and implemented heightened sanitization practices, but an oversight could jeopardize the college’s ability to continue in-person instruction.
Lauren Kucirka, obstetrics and gynecology resident at Johns Hopkins Medicine, said “we place others at risk when we assume the test is perfect.” Though Marist officials lifted the Champagnat Hall quarantine, expert insight suggests that the virus may linger and, as Ohl said, a negative result is “not a Get Out of Jail Free card.”
The CDC recently changed their guidelines from recommending that all those exposed to the virus quarantine and test to instructing that “healthy people who have been exposed to COVID-19 ‘do not necessarily need a test,’ as long as they don't have symptoms.” Dr. Ashish Jha, director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, said that these new guidelines are dangerous.
"If we're not testing these people, they will infect others, and the viral transmission and outbreak will only get worse over time," he said.
Vice President of Student Affairs Deborah DiCaprio wrote in the email to students that Marist will continue to implement “robust testing protocols” and launch a surveillance testing program.
“Be smart. Protect the pack,” DiCaprio said.
Source: Sarah Lynch