Katherine Borkovich

In-house coronavirus testing draws attention of SoCal media

ilseu — Thu, 15 Oct 2020 23:25:38 +0000

In-house coronavirus testing draws attention of SoCal media ilseu Thu, 10/15/2020 - 16:25 More College News Madeline Adamo | UCR News October 14, 2020

UC Riverside’s “homemade” COVID-19 testing lab has drawn widespread attention from Southern California media.

The acknowledgment of the new lab’s success comes at a time when some universities across the nation have struggled to prevent campus outbreaks. The lab – created by UCR faculty – places the university in the elite company of universities including Yale that are providing their own testing facilities.

“We’ve been operating at full speed,” Rodolfo Torres, vice chancellor for research and economic development, told The Press-Enterprise in an article published Monday.

“We want to minimize the chance that there will be an outbreak.”

Torres, who was appointed to plan the lab with other campus leaders in April, was also interviewed by NBC Los Angeles and Telemundo 52 about the success of the current program.

Using saliva tests, the lab can process up to 400 test samples a day, with students getting their results back quickly— usually within one to two days.

Of the 874 students who recently moved into UCR residence halls for the fall quarter, all are being tested twice weekly. Testing is expected to expand shortly to the 1,000 or so students living near campus in apartments.

Since the lab’s opening, five COVID-19 cases have been identified, allowing isolation measures to be enacted, as well as aggressive contact tracing.

“We cannot guarantee a safe place for everyone,” Torres said. “But we can make it as safe as we can by taking precautions.”

Full articles/segments here:

UC Riverside unveils on-campus coronavirus testing lab - The Press-Enterprise

UC Riverside creates on-campus testing lab, tests students twice per week - NBC Los Angeles

Ofrecen pruebas de COVID-19 a estudiantes en la Universidad de California Riverside - Telemundo 52

UC Riverside's on-campus coronavirus testing lab processing 400 samples a day - CBS Los Angeles

Coronavirus lab and testing in place for fall quarter

ilseu — Wed, 23 Sep 2020 20:28:39 +0000

Coronavirus lab and testing in place for fall quarter ilseu Wed, 09/23/2020 - 13:28 More College News Imran Ghori | UCR News September 22, 2020

As the fall quarter begins, UC Riverside has a new diagnostic lab operating on campus that will rapidly process samples from students and employees as part of an ongoing coronavirus testing program.

The lab, located at the Multidisciplinary Research Building, or MRB, tested its first sample in August and opened in early September.

The result of months of collaboration between several campus groups, the lab allows UCR to conduct its own independent testing of the campus community at a rate of about 600 samples a day. Results are processed within 24 hours.

“It’s one additional and important measure among all the others in place to mitigate the effects of the pandemic,” said Rodolfo Torres, vice chancellor for Research and Economic Development, whose office was involved in planning for the lab.

A team of researchers from the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences assembled the lab from scratch, borrowing some equipment from colleagues and creating their own testing kits.

Katherine Borkovich, a professor and chair of the Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology; and Isgouhi Kaloshian, a professor and chair of the Department of Nematology, led those efforts and are overseeing the lab operations.

Having its own lab on campus will allow UCR to avoid testing kit shortages and longer wait times for results, which they said some health providers and public agencies have faced.

The lab has continued to refine its process in recent weeks, switching from nasal swabs to saliva tests. This change has allowed staff to boost testing speed and capacity, and they have the potential for an even bigger increase. While using nasal swabs, the lab could only process 200 samples a day, Borkovich said.

Student Health Services and UCR Health have begun using the lab for testing students and employees as part of an ongoing effort to keep the campus safe and healthy.

A drive-thru testing event held by UCR Health on Sept. 9 and 10 drew about 70 employees who made appointments in advance and provided saliva samples to medical assistants from their vehicles. The process took no more than 10 minutes.

Student Health Services, which had limited testing through an outside lab since March, is ramping up testing of students residing on campus with the opening of the new lab. It tested resident advisors earlier this month and began testing incoming students this week.

All students moving into campus housing are required to get tested before they can check in. Once they are living on campus, they will continue to be tested up to twice a week throughout the fall quarter.

Pop-up sample collection sites will be set up at or near the residence halls where students can check-in with a barcode on their smartphones.

For both employees and students, the campus has created an email notification process for those testing negative. Any positive results will be delivered by phone.

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COVID-19 lab begins testing campus community

ilseu — Wed, 16 Sep 2020 20:53:16 +0000

COVID-19 lab begins testing campus community ilseu Wed, 09/16/2020 - 13:53 More College News Imran Ghori | Inside UCR September 16, 2020

UC Riverside has begun testing students, staff, and faculty members for the coronavirus with the opening of a new diagnostic lab on campus this month.

The lab, located at the Multidisciplinary Research Building, or MRB, began operations in early September. The facility allows the campus to conduct its own independent testing at a faster rate and greater capacity than if it were to use an outside service, said Katherine Borkovich, a professor and chair of the Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, who helped lead efforts to create the lab.

UCR Health organized the first campus drive-thru testing for staff and faculty members on Sept. 9 and 10 with about 70 employees providing samples over the two days. A week earlier, the lab worked with Student Health Services to test 68 resident advisors who will be living on campus this fall.

Both are part of the initial steps to begin an expanded and regular testing program that will allow the campus to avoid competing with other institutions for scarce testing supplies and resources, said Dr. Donald Larsen, CEO of UCR Health.

“We wanted to be sure we had the testing resources our campus needed to successfully reopen in a safe manner,” Larsen said.

Medical assistants from UCR Health work at a COVID-19 drive-through sample collection outside the Student Recreation Center on Wednesday, September 9, 2020. (UCR/Stan Lim)

The drive-thru testing was held in the parking lot of the North Student Recreation Center with employees asked to make appointments in advance. Supervisors with employees working on campus were notified of the testing availability. Medical assistants at the entrance greeted each vehicle at the entrance, checked the names on the appointment list, and sent them to one of five canopy tents.

A different medical assistant then walked up to each vehicle, handing the employee a sheet of information on the test and a pipette to deposit a small sample of saliva. The pipette was placed in a sealed plastic bag and returned to the assistant who labeled it with the patient’s information.

The whole process was designed to take about 10 minutes to complete, said Dr. Andres Gonzalez, chief medical officer for UCR Health, who coordinated the sample collection efforts with Larsen.

Isgouhi Kaloshian, a professor and chair of the Department of Nematology who worked with Borkovich to create the lab, said they have continued to refine the testing process to increase efficiency.

Initially, lab staff used nasal swabs to collect samples but then switched to saliva tests. That has allowed them to increase their speed and testing capacity from 200 to 600 a day with the potential to increase it even more, Borkovich said. Both processes provide for results within 24 hours.

Saliva tests are also easier to administer, Gonzalez said, limiting contact with the patient in collecting a sample. He noted the medical assistants wore face shields, masks, and gloves but did not need full personal protective equipment for the drive-thru tests.

UCR Health will analyze the first results to refine the process as it expands testing opportunities in the future, Gonzalez said.

Zhaojie Meng, a staff member with Biomedical Sciences, is silhouetted as he collects his saliva for a COVID-19 test from his car on Wednesday, September 9, 2020.(UCR/Stan Lim)

“We definitely want everyone to have the option of being tested when they need to and we also want to test individuals on a regular frequency,” he said. “That way we can act on it on a timely basis.”

Student Health Services, under the direction of Chief Medical Officer Dr. Kenneth Han, has had ongoing limited testing at its clinic since March, but the recent testing of resident advisors at its clinic was the first time the campus lab was used, said William Rall, senior administrative director for the office.

“We’ve seen an immediate difference,” he said. “It’s about a fraction of the time.”

The process is less expensive and quicker, with results in 24 hours versus the weeklong wait with the outside lab, Rall said.

The office is putting together a plan for testing all students living on campus and those attending in-person classes. Those living in campus residence halls will be required to be tested before they move in and continue to be tested up to twice a week throughout the fall quarter.

Student Health Services plans to set up pop-up sample collection sites at or near the residence halls where students can check-in with a barcode on their smartphones, Rall said. Students will also be required to fill out a daily wellness check. Anyone experiencing symptoms will be asked not to come to the pop-up testing sites but will be tested separately.

For both employees and students, the campus has created a notification process to provide quick results, Larsen said. Those testing negative will be notified by email or text shortly after the results are available. Any positive results will be delivered via phone.

Larsen compared their goal to the process being used by athletics organizations such as the National Basketball Association where players are tested regularly and stay in a confined “bubble.”

“We need to sample very frequently our employees and our students as well as control the environment they’re living and working in,” he said.

COVID-19 drive-thru testing at UCR. (c) UCR/ Stan Lim

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