Students returning to class at Case Western Reserve University Monday found a dozen vending machines on campus stocked with COVID-19 PCR tests, News 5 Cleveland, an ABC affiliate, reported.
To combat the Omicron surge, the Cleveland university is offering the tests free for all students, faculty and staff. The tester just needs to collect a test kit from a vending machine, complete it and drop it off in a designated spot next to the machine, where the campus lab will pick it up and return results, usually within 24 hours. The vending machines will be stocked with tests for the foreseeable future, News 5 reported, and will eventually carry rapid antigen tests as well. The measure is especially helpful for nursing and medical students who work clinical rotations with odd shifts and aren't able to get tested during regular work hours, Megan Koeth, executive director of the Department of Resiliency for Case Western, told News 5.
“It’s kind of helping us live with COVID,” Koeth said. “I keep saying—it’s here to stay for at least the time being. So what can we do to change our operations to make it so that we can still be here on campus and be safe, but you know we can have all those precautions in place.”
Opinions on Inside Higher Ed
Inside Higher Ed’s Blog U
Trending Stories
Most Shared Stories
- Why faculty shouldn't say 'thank you for sharing' in classes (opinion) | Inside Higher Ed
- Mizzou defends president's right to cut faculty pay by 25%
- Tuition discounts hit all-time high, NACUBO study finds
- Survey: Students want connections with professors but may not initiate them
- Turnover, burnout and demoralization in higher ed
We have retired comments and introduced Letters to the Editor. Letters may be sent to [email protected].
Read the Letters to the Editor »