Evaluation of screen, test, & protect: A public health program to control and prevent COVID-19 at a large academic university

Shannan N Rich; Emily M Klann; Kelly K Gurka; Meghan Froman; Matthew Walser; Cindy Prins; Paul Myers; Michael Lauzardo; Jerne Shapiro

doi:10.1080/07448481.2022.2080506

Evaluation of screen, test, & protect: A public health program to control and prevent COVID-19 at a large academic university

J Am Coll Health. 2022 Jun 21:1-4. doi: 10.1080/07448481.2022.2080506. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Shannan N Rich^{1

2}, Emily M Klann^{1

2}, Kelly K Gurka¹, Meghan Froman^{2

3}, Matthew Walser⁴, Cindy Prins^{1

2}, Paul Myers⁵, Michael Lauzardo^{1

2}, Jerne Shapiro^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health and Health Professions & College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
² Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
³ Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
⁴ Student Health Care Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
⁵ Florida Department of Health in Alachua County, Gainesville, FL, USA.

PMID: 35727228
DOI: 10.1080/07448481.2022.2080506

Abstract

Background: We evaluate the public health surveillance program, Screen, Test, and Protect (STP) designed to control and prevent COVID-19 at a large academic university in the United States. Methods: STP was established at the University of Florida in May 2020. This report details STP's full-time workforce, centralized database, and testing and vaccination programs. We evaluate the program's success in controlling COVID-19 during the 2020-2021 academic school year. Results: COVID-19 cases rose among the campus community in the first few weeks of campus reopening in Fall 2020. Test positivity levels returned to prefall semester levels within one month, however. A few additional, yet smaller, waves occurred during the 2020-2021 school year and were successfully controlled without any campus-wide closures. Conclusions: This program may serve as a framework for other institutions managing the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, in addition to setting the standard for programmatic management of future emerging infectious diseases at universities.

Keywords: COVID-19; Collegiate health; emerging infectious diseases; public health practice; surveillance.