Pooled Testing Underway at Masters

11/6/2020

As part of The Masters School’s ongoing efforts to keep its community safe, weekly pooled COVID-19 testing began during the week of October 26.

The first two rounds of schoolwide testing showed negative results.

In an email to the community sent on October 29, Head of School Laura Danforth shared the encouraging results of the first round of testing and added that this news was “a reassuring reminder that our safety protocols are working, and we must not lower our guard.”

Pooled testing is a method that combines respiratory samples from a group of individuals and conducts one laboratory test on the pool of samples to detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. These screening tests are intended to identify infected individuals without symptoms or prior to the development of them so that measures can be taken to prevent further transmission.

The School is working with JCM Analytics to conduct weekly testing on all students, staff and faculty who are participating in on-campus, in-person activities.

Director of Health Services Sue Adams emphasized that vigilance is key for continued testing success. “While regular pooled testing will allow us to gain an understanding of the general health of our community, it should not be considered a substitute for the safety protocols that we must continue to follow. Symptom tracking, mask-wearing, social distancing, hand-washing and the avoidance of large gatherings have proven to be the most effective measures to protect ourselves against the virus, and we must be unwavering in our adherence to these protocols.”

“This method eliminates the need of a complete school closure if a positive case should arise. This I am very happy with” said Susie Williams P ’26. “Weekly testing is important to keep our entire community safe and to keep our children in school,” she added.

Dena Torino, the director of residential life who is assisting with logistics, has found that the community is diligently adapting to this new protocol. “It will get more efficient, the more times we do it. The sheer scale of what we’re doing is a challenge: testing and scanning close to 700 samples every week,” she said.

Torino added, “A lot of people are glad we’re doing it. It makes people feel calm and confident about being here.”