This week, Queen’s has launched an on-campus asymptomatic testing pilot programme, which began on Monday 23rd November. The initiative comes as part of QUB’s participation in a national scheme, with the university aiming to contribute to the roll out of asymptomatic mass testing, in order to detect and trace transmission of the virus in those who do not show symptoms but might be carriers of it. I got tested for The Scoop to see for myself how the system works and just how beneficial this might be to students at the end of an exceptionally disruptive semester.

Coming at a busy point in term, especially for those with travel plans, students should be reassured that the testing process itself should not provide any additional stress. Right from the booking stage, the process was quick and easy to navigate. After visiting the QUB testing webpage on Monday, I was able to book a test for the very next day. Perhaps the only drawback of the system is that students are required to take two tests, at least three days apart, to ensure their reliability. Though the webpage makes this clear, booking one test did not automatically prompt me to book another. Students therefore need to act on their own initiative to make sure they secure two slots. Bearing this in mind, the next available slot I was able to grab was for five days later, and though I could be pretty sure I was negative as the first test had confirmed, I had to wait those extra few days to find out for sure. My advice for any student relying on a negative result to make travel plans, would be to consider the time you have and the time you need for both tests to be carried out effectively.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Greer and Health Minister Robin Swann MLA talk to Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Stuart Elborn at the launch of the pilot asymptomatic testing programme

Anyone who has had a Covid test will know that the process itself can be a little uncomfortable and unpleasant. As far as testing goes, QUB’s system was smooth in comparison. After being able to secure two slots, which are readily available every 10 minutes, from 11am-8pm Sundays-Thursdays, the set-up within the Whitla Hall meant that the actual testing process only took 10 minutes. The test itself is carried out using Lateral Flow Devices and, after receiving both the PCR and Lateral Flow test on Tuesday, my negative result was confirmed by a single Lateral Flow test alone on Sunday. From now on, only Lateral Flow Devices will be used, meaning only one swab will be necessary to determine any results.

The system is currently managed by an external team from Sodexo. Site manager Aaron told me that as demand increases they are hoping to train more and more students to work as operatives. These student will then be able to take over from the external team by the 13th December.

The current target is 600 tests per day, but being only one week into the initiative, this number is yet to be reached. Every day is getting busier, and demand is set to increase as more students gear up to travel home. Perhaps this was reflected in the queue I waited in on Sunday that noticeably wasn’t there on Tuesday. Those considering booking tests should be cautious of leaving enough time to secure two slots.

The testing centre is located in the QUB Whitla Hall

Waiting for the results proved to be just as simple as the test itself. My results were sent to me both by text and email within an hour. Aaron was able to confirm the efficiency of the process on Sunday and told me that, so far, the overall feeling from students had been positive. He conveyed that the biggest drawback so far is the length of time it takes to process results, Still, they have the capacity to process 30 tests per hour, meaning a lot of students will receive their results within this time. The efficiency of the test and the speed at which results are made available will no doubt provide an immediate sense of relief for students who are relying on a negative test in order to make travel plans.

Significantly, while this initiative has come at the end of a semester which has already been somewhat compromised with the suspension of face-to-face teaching before mid-term, teaching plans for next semester are still up in the air. Professor Elborn’s confirmation on The Scoop on Sunday last week that the university did not want to ‘overpromise’ and that the unpredictability of the situation meaning that there is no guarantee of face-to-face teaching will no doubt be disappointing for the same students making travel arrangements in the coming weeks.

The roll-out of asymptomatic testing capacity, which is set to continue next semester, is perhaps the only thing we can be sure about. Reassurance of this is certainly a step in the right direction and will no doubt provide a stronger foundation for controlling the virus next term. Whether or not a smooth and efficient system will provide for a smooth and efficient semester, I guess we’ll find out.

Abby Wallace is a member of The Scoop news team.

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