<p>Chancellor Malatras recently increased testing frequency of all students, faculty, and staff on campus to at least once a week and the new Upstate Medical and partner Quadrant Biosciences lab at UB will be able to process 150,000 tests a week, increasing the total testing 350,000 tests per week across SUNY, with results being returned to campuses within 24 hours. The lab will be operational by March 1.</p>
<p>SUNY is investing $120,000 in the expansion by purchasing the equipment to process Upstate Medical’s COVID-19 test at the new lab. Additional funding will be provided by joint partner Quadrant Biosciences, a New York based molecular diagnostics company. The UB laboratory will be staffed by Quadrant Biosciences in partnership with SUNY faculty and student medical researcher teams, as the site handles weekly saliva testing for all SUNY campuses in Western New York.</p>
<p>Upstate Medical and Quadrant Biosciences co-developed the Clarifi COVID-19 test, the world’s number one ranked saliva test according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The test is accurate for detection of all common strains of the virus, including the United Kingdom variant that has been found in New York and more than half of the States. The test also detects asymptomatic cases, which is crucial for SUNY campuses to safely reopen in the spring. FDA approval of Upstate’s saliva test allows for additional laboratories to be used for testing analysis.</p>
<p>Chancellor Malatras made the announcement on Jan. 31 from University at Buffalo, as he met with President Satish Tripathi and Upstate Medical University President Mantosh Dewan. Chancellor Malatras also visited Buffalo State College President Katherine Conway-Turner. Both campuses were conducting pre-semester testing before in-person classes resume for the spring semester.</p>
<p>All students returning to campus are required to test negative for COVID-19 immediately prior to or upon return to campus, and students, faculty, and staff will be tested weekly throughout the semester primarily using Upstate’s saliva test to identify any new cases. Students testing positive may quarantine on campus housing or at their residence for the semester if living off-campus.</p>
<p>“Today’s announcement is the best of SUNY—an all hand’s on deck approach to collaborate to combat this virus—with Upstate Medical and UB joining forces to expand testing capacity that will help meet the challenge of weekly testing of all students, faculty, and staff on campus during the spring semester,” said Chancellor Malatras. “We also want to provide our testing outside of our college borders into the broader community, and this expansion will provide additional long-term capacity to do so. My thanks to President Tripathi, President Dewan, and President Conway-Turner, and their teams. Everyone at SUNY is important in our battle against this virus.”SUNY Board Trustee Eunice Lewin said, “I am overjoyed to see students returning to our SUNY campuses for the spring semester so they may return to their studies. This is not to be taken for granted with the ongoing pandemic, and I know it has involved a dedicated focus throughout SUNY. My thanks to Chancellor Malatras, Presidents Satish Tripathi and Dr. Mantosh Dewan, and their teams for bringing the world’s number one saliva testing laboratory to Western New York, adding testing speed and capacity to help keep our students, faculty, and staff safe.” ... </p>
<p>Chancellor Malatras <a href="https://www.suny.edu/media/suny/content-assets/documents/news/Supplemental-Spring2021-Reopening-Guidance.pdf">announced</a> that all SUNY campuses will increase the frequency of SUNY’s mandatory COVID-19 testing to weekly testing of all students, faculty, and staff who regularly report to campus. Healthcare students who have volunteered to help with COVID response will be made available to campuses to help administer tests. To date, approximately 2,500 students have signed up to volunteer. Since the 2020-2021 academic year began in August, SUNY has conducted 764,777 tests with a 0.55 positive percentage rate. The 7-day positivity rate at UB is 0.43 percent, versus 5 percent in Erie County. Preliminary data suggests in-person instruction has not been a vector of the spread.</p>
<p>As part of the campus visits, Chancellor Malatras is meeting with students, faculty, staff, and local officials as he reaffirms the spring semester guidance, which was announced last <a href="https://www.suny.edu/suny-news/press-releases/11-20/11-8-20/spring-semester-guidance.html">November</a>, and includes pre-testing of all students prior to the start of the semester, mandatory pre-semester quarantine of students, mandatory mask wearing at all times, even when socially distanced, no spring break, uniform <a href="https://www.suny.edu/media/suny/content-assets/documents/chancellor/UniformSanctions-Response-COVID-19-Student-Violations.pdf">compliance and enforcement</a> standards, expanded mental health and wellness services, and a student’s bill of rights for greater transparency.</p>
<p><strong>About SUNY Upstate Medical’s Pooled Surveillance Testing</strong><br />
SUNY currently has the capacity to process approximately 200,000 tests per week, until the UB site allows for 350,000 test per week, thanks to a series of major breakthroughs at Upstate Medical. Both the New York State Department of Health and FDA approved an individual saliva swab test developed by Upstate Medical and Quadrant Biosciences. By combining this groundbreaking individual saliva swab test with Upstate Medical's state-approved pooled testing protocol, SUNY was able require regular COVID-19 tests on students, faculty and staff on SUNY campuses throughout the fall semester.</p>
<p>Both the individual test and the pooled test developed by Upstate Medical and Quadrant are done using saliva swabs rather than swabs inserted in a person's nose.</p>
<p>Individuals administer the tests themselves by swabbing their mouths. Samples are given to Upstate Medical and combined into a pool, which is tested for COVID-19 virus. A negative test means that all 10-25 people in the group are presumed to be coronavirus-free at the time of testing.</p>
<p>A positive test for the pool requires each individual saliva sample within the pool to be tested again to pinpoint the positive case or cases. The rapid retesting does not require people in the positive pool to return to submit an entirely new sample. This greatly accelerates the process and expands testing capacity.</p>
<p>The full media release is availble <a href="https://www.suny.edu/suny-news/press-releases/01-21/1-31-21/index.html">online</a>.</p>
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MCC Daily Tribune
SUNY Upstate to Construct COVID-19 Lab at UB to Increase Testing Capacity
On Jan. 31, Chancellor Jim Malatras announced that SUNY Upstate Medical University will construct a new laboratory at the University at Buffalo to increase capacity and speed up analysis of Upstate’s COVID-19 saliva test.
Chancellor Malatras recently increased testing frequency of all students, faculty, and staff on campus to at least once a week and the new Upstate Medical and partner Quadrant Biosciences lab at UB will be able to process 150,000 tests a week, increasing the total testing 350,000 tests per week across SUNY, with results being returned to campuses within 24 hours. The lab will be operational by March 1.
SUNY is investing $120,000 in the expansion by purchasing the equipment to process Upstate Medical’s COVID-19 test at the new lab. Additional funding will be provided by joint partner Quadrant Biosciences, a New York based molecular diagnostics company. The UB laboratory will be staffed by Quadrant Biosciences in partnership with SUNY faculty and student medical researcher teams, as the site handles weekly saliva testing for all SUNY campuses in Western New York.
Upstate Medical and Quadrant Biosciences co-developed the Clarifi COVID-19 test, the world’s number one ranked saliva test according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The test is accurate for detection of all common strains of the virus, including the United Kingdom variant that has been found in New York and more than half of the States. The test also detects asymptomatic cases, which is crucial for SUNY campuses to safely reopen in the spring. FDA approval of Upstate’s saliva test allows for additional laboratories to be used for testing analysis.
Chancellor Malatras made the announcement on Jan. 31 from University at Buffalo, as he met with President Satish Tripathi and Upstate Medical University President Mantosh Dewan. Chancellor Malatras also visited Buffalo State College President Katherine Conway-Turner. Both campuses were conducting pre-semester testing before in-person classes resume for the spring semester.
All students returning to campus are required to test negative for COVID-19 immediately prior to or upon return to campus, and students, faculty, and staff will be tested weekly throughout the semester primarily using Upstate’s saliva test to identify any new cases. Students testing positive may quarantine on campus housing or at their residence for the semester if living off-campus.
“Today’s announcement is the best of SUNY—an all hand’s on deck approach to collaborate to combat this virus—with Upstate Medical and UB joining forces to expand testing capacity that will help meet the challenge of weekly testing of all students, faculty, and staff on campus during the spring semester,” said Chancellor Malatras. “We also want to provide our testing outside of our college borders into the broader community, and this expansion will provide additional long-term capacity to do so. My thanks to President Tripathi, President Dewan, and President Conway-Turner, and their teams. Everyone at SUNY is important in our battle against this virus.”SUNY Board Trustee Eunice Lewin said, “I am overjoyed to see students returning to our SUNY campuses for the spring semester so they may return to their studies. This is not to be taken for granted with the ongoing pandemic, and I know it has involved a dedicated focus throughout SUNY. My thanks to Chancellor Malatras, Presidents Satish Tripathi and Dr. Mantosh Dewan, and their teams for bringing the world’s number one saliva testing laboratory to Western New York, adding testing speed and capacity to help keep our students, faculty, and staff safe.” ...
Chancellor Malatras announced that all SUNY campuses will increase the frequency of SUNY’s mandatory COVID-19 testing to weekly testing of all students, faculty, and staff who regularly report to campus. Healthcare students who have volunteered to help with COVID response will be made available to campuses to help administer tests. To date, approximately 2,500 students have signed up to volunteer. Since the 2020-2021 academic year began in August, SUNY has conducted 764,777 tests with a 0.55 positive percentage rate. The 7-day positivity rate at UB is 0.43 percent, versus 5 percent in Erie County. Preliminary data suggests in-person instruction has not been a vector of the spread.
As part of the campus visits, Chancellor Malatras is meeting with students, faculty, staff, and local officials as he reaffirms the spring semester guidance, which was announced last November, and includes pre-testing of all students prior to the start of the semester, mandatory pre-semester quarantine of students, mandatory mask wearing at all times, even when socially distanced, no spring break, uniform compliance and enforcement standards, expanded mental health and wellness services, and a student’s bill of rights for greater transparency.
About SUNY Upstate Medical’s Pooled Surveillance Testing
SUNY currently has the capacity to process approximately 200,000 tests per week, until the UB site allows for 350,000 test per week, thanks to a series of major breakthroughs at Upstate Medical. Both the New York State Department of Health and FDA approved an individual saliva swab test developed by Upstate Medical and Quadrant Biosciences. By combining this groundbreaking individual saliva swab test with Upstate Medical's state-approved pooled testing protocol, SUNY was able require regular COVID-19 tests on students, faculty and staff on SUNY campuses throughout the fall semester.
Both the individual test and the pooled test developed by Upstate Medical and Quadrant are done using saliva swabs rather than swabs inserted in a person's nose.
Individuals administer the tests themselves by swabbing their mouths. Samples are given to Upstate Medical and combined into a pool, which is tested for COVID-19 virus. A negative test means that all 10-25 people in the group are presumed to be coronavirus-free at the time of testing.
A positive test for the pool requires each individual saliva sample within the pool to be tested again to pinpoint the positive case or cases. The rapid retesting does not require people in the positive pool to return to submit an entirely new sample. This greatly accelerates the process and expands testing capacity.
The full media release is availble online.
Rosanna Yule
Government and Community Relations
02/03/2021
