This afternoon, COD President Brian Caputo sent an email to students announcing COVID-19 testing will begin Nov. 15. Any person who is not fully vaccinated and who is taking an in-person class is required to test weekly. Students with medical and religious exemptions are also required to adhere to weekly testing requirements.

The administration detailed steps to prepare for testing, as well as what the testing process would look like. The first step is to create a profile through the SHIELD Illinois portal. SHIELD Illinois is a program at the University of Illinois that developed a saliva test for COVID-19 and has partnered with COD for COVID-19 testing.  

Students and faculty must use a code to set up their profile. The code for students is ug3isd2z-stu, and the code for COD faculty and staff is ug3isd2z-emp. The SHIELD Illinois profile must be set up before testing begins on Nov. 15.

Once testing starts, individuals must bring an employee or student ID to the testing. Testing will take place in Student Resource Center room 2000 and will be available from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays, and 8 a.m. to 5p.m. on Wednesdays. 

The test will involve producing a small amount of saliva to deposit into a vial.

“Individuals should not eat, drink (including water), chew gum, smoke or use tobacco products within 60 minutes prior to providing a saliva sample,” Caputo said in the email, “Doing any of these things within 60 minutes prior to providing a sample could produce an inconclusive result and require the individual to re-test.”

Test results will appear in the SHIELD Illinois portal within 24 hours of arriving at the lab. Students and staff who are required to test weekly will receive an email from the Dean of Student Affairs and Human Resources, respectively. Any students with questions about weekly testing should contact the Dean of Student Affairs at [email protected], and any faculty or staff that have questions should contact Human Resources at [email protected].