The University is removing the on-campus testing center due to decreasing demand for PCR testing, according to a July 18 email from UVM Provost Patricia Prelock.

After the state-run testing sites closed on Jun. 25, the University announced the COVID-19 Information and Service Center will officially stop its services on July 28 at 2 p.m., according to the email.  

“Our Fall 2022 COVID-19 operations will be based on statewide guidance from the Vermont Department of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control,” Prelock stated.

The necessity for PCR testing has reduced because of the accessibility of home testing kits and the high vaccination rates among our students and staff, she stated. As a result, an on-campus testing facility is no longer required.

All students and employees are required to have a full-vaccination status, she stated. 

The University has a limited supply of rapid tests available and will administer one testing kit a week that students can receive using their CatCard, Prelock stated. Students and employees should consider bringing their own masks and rapid tests. 

“We will be monitoring the evolving public health situation and will provide our UVM community with updated COVID-19 operations information as necessary,” Prelock stated. 

Additionally, she stated that students, faculty and staff can decide how they want to take precautions based on their degree of risk. 

Symptomatic students should contact the Center for Health and Wellbeing online or call directly to schedule an appointment, according to Prelock.

Symptomatic employees should contact their primary care provider or visit the Vermont Department of Health Testing Website for information regarding testing availability, she stated. 

Students with questions surrounding COVID-19 can contact Student Health Services or [email protected], Prelock stated. Faculty and staff can contact their manager or supervisor or email [email protected]. 

In the last week of the semester, the University reported 66 total positive test results, 28 were off-campus students, 25 were on-campus students and 13 were faculty and staff, according to the UVM Forward Weekly Testing Results page. 

Discontinuing testing sites suggests the progress in COVID-19 prevention in the past few years, according to the Vermont Department of Health website. Vermont residents’ COVID-19 needs are predominantly satisfied by at-home testing which is easily accessible in pharmacies and online.

Full details concerning COVID-19 guidelines can be found on healthvermont.gov.