As this unprecedented year comes to a close, the Office of Communications is rerunning some of the big stories of 2020 that highlight the incredible work of the UMass Medical School community. From the first-in-the-nation early graduation of our medical students to the essential clinical research that lead to a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, from the tremendous growth of the institution’s research funding to ground broken on the new research and education building, we have so much to be proud of. Look for these stories on UMassMed News between Dec. 21 and Jan. 1. We hope you enjoy them!
As colleges and universities plan for the return of students for the fall semester amid the COVID-19 pandemic, one important element in keeping everyone safe is frequent testing for the virus, according to Chancellor Michael F. Collins in a July 30 opinion piece published in the Boston Globe.
Chancellor Collins explains how UMass Medical School brought back 2,000 students, faculty and staff in three phases to its Worcester campus beginning in May, all of whom were tested prior to their return and undergo weekly testing for the virus.
“The most essential element for a safe reopening must be frequent testing for the presence of COVID-19 infection,” Collins said in the editorial. “Our experience confirms that with low-cost, frequent testing, like that made possible by the Broad Institute, along with a rapid turnaround of results, contact tracing and isolation can wall off disease for a campus community. These principles could serve our nation well.”
Read the full piece at: Boston Globe: Returning college students? Test them—frequently
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