UCI Forward

UCI Forward is our commitment to the well-being of our community as we ramp up campus operations. Working together, each of us doing our part, we can move UCI Forward.

Testing

Section 1

To maintain a healthy Anteater environment and help control the spread of coronavirus within the community, UCI has established active, ongoing testing for students, faculty and staff on campus.

Asymptomatic testing is for on-campus students, staff and faculty who do not have symptoms. If you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, students should contact Student Health and employees working on-site should contact the Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (COEH).

For those working remotely, testing is readily available in the community. View COVID-19 testing locations here.

COVID-19 testing is currently completed via a supervised self-administered nasal swab test, is cost-free to eligible groups on campus, and results are available within 24 - 72 hours.

Student Testing Info Employee Testing Info

Fact Sheet - SalivaDirect Testing

Testing Frequency by Group

Student Testing

In accordance with the UCI Executive Directive – Student Testing, students entering or physically present on UCI-controlled property must enroll in weekly asymptomatic testing.

Testing Available for Residents and Students Living Off Campus

  • Students residing on campus
  • Students attending in-person classes (when classes resume)
  • Students residing within 10 miles of the campus**
  • Students who regularly attend onsite events or activities
  • Students involved in campus-based research
  • Students working on campus

**Students having difficulty accessing the Patient Portal to schedule their appointment can contact the Coronavirus Response Center at 949-824-9918 or covid19@uci.edu for assistance.

View Executive Directive on Student Testing

How to schedule your appointment

Students may schedule recurring appointments by logging in to the Student Health Patient Portal. Once in the portal,

  • Select “Appointments” on the left navigation sidebar.
  • Click on “Schedule an Appointment”.
  • Select “COVID-19 Testing” – click “Continue”.
  • Note the testing locations that are available.
  • Select the testing location – click “Continue”.
  • Select “COVID-19 Mass Testing Scheduling” – click “Continue”
  • Confirm your contact information (email address, local telephone, local address) – click “Continue”.
  • Enter your callback number (required in case Student Health Center staff needs to contact you regarding the appointment you are scheduling) – click “Continue”.
  • Schedule your first and recurring appointments (click to view more)

Testing is available at the Division of Continuing Education (DCE) - Yosemite Room.

What to expect and what to bring

On the day of your testing appointment,

  1. Complete your Daily Symptom Check.
    1. If you are not showing symptoms, keep your appointment and proceed to your testing location.
    2. If you are showing symptoms, do not go to the test collection site. Please contact the Student Health Center at 949-824-5301 for instructions. If you have health insurance other than UC SHIP and have your own primary care provider, then you should also contact your PCP’s office to advise them of your symptoms.
  2. Know where you are going and give yourself enough time to get there.
    1. Confirm the location of your appointment and locate it on the map.
    2. Plan to arrive at least 5 minutes before your appointment time.
  3. Don’t leave home without these items:
    1. Face covering (and a spare face covering)
    2. Your student ID card or student ID number and another form of picture ID if you do not have your student ID card.

Please do NOT bring anyone with you unless absolutely necessary.

FAQs

Student FAQs

If you have COVID-19-related questions, please contact the UCI Coronavirus Hotline at 949-824-9918 or email covid19@uci.edu.

Why are we testing students?

As you know, while the majority of COVID-19 cases are associated with symptoms including very mild cold/flu like symptoms, research has shown that a significant proportion of the populations could be asymptomatic.  Our testing helps to identify asymptomatic cases and protect the UCI community at large.  

Additionally, there is a UCI executive directive mandating student testing. A conduct process will apply for students who do not participate in COVID-19 testing.

Do I perform the test myself?

The test currently being utilized is a self-administered nasal swab test. There will be trained staff there to educate students on how to administer the test correctly.

In the future, UCI may transition fully or partially to other types of testing.

How long does the entire process take?

The entire process, from check-in to completion of the testing, takes about 7-10 minutes.

What if I don’t want to be tested? Or cannot be tested due to religious reasons?

We recognize there may be some who don’t agree with COVID testing all the students. As an academic research university with a regional medical center, health is a top priority at UCI, and testing provides data to help us control the spread.

If a student cannot be tested due to religious reasons, please contact the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity for additional information and guidance. Phone: (949) 824-5594, Email: oeod@uci.edu, web: https://www.oeod.uci.edu

What if I need a special accommodations?

Students can contact the Disability Services Center for an accommodation request. Phone: 949-824-7494, Email: dsc@uci.edu, web: https://dsc.uci.edu. If a student needs assistance at the testing site with administering the test or other assistance, staff will be available. If testing cannot be completed at the site, testing at SHC can be arranged for students who need a special accommodation.

How long does it take to get the results?

Test results should be available on your Student Health Portal between 24 and 72 hours after you’ve completed your test. You will receive an auto-generated email notifying you that lab results are available on the portal.

Students testing positive for coronavirus will be contacted by the Student Health Center with instructions for isolation and treatment. Students whose test is “inconclusive” will be contacted by SHC to obtain a nasopharyngeal test at the SHC as soon as possible. Please be sure to check phone calls during this window.

What happens if I test negative?

If your test is NEGATIVE (not detected):

1. You are cleared to proceed with normal social distancing and health safety practices, this includes frequent handwashing, physical distancing, and wearing a facial covering.

2. Testing negative does not mean that you’re not susceptible to the virus.

3. Continue to attend regular testing (Log in to the Student Health Patient Portal to schedule your recurring appointments.)

What happens if I test positive?

If you test positive for COVID-19, you should continue to seek healthcare with your healthcare provider. The contact tracer will call you to ask where you have been, where you think you may have been exposed and who you have been in close contact with. You will also receive instructions on self-isolation during recovery and assure you have the resources you need. 

Follow these steps to obtain the testing clearance letter:

  1. Obtain an electronic copy of your previous COVID test result from your healthcare provider. 
  2. Log in to the Student Health Portal using your UCInetID.
  3. Select 'Medical Clearances' on the main menu.
  4. Click on the ‘Update’ button next to 'COVID-19 Test Results'.
  5. Click on the ‘Upload’ button. Select the document/image (i.e., the document from your healthcare provider) you want to upload.
  6. Click on ‘Looks Good’ button if you are satisfied with the document you have selected.
  7. If you have additional documents, follow steps 4 and 5 above.
  8. Once you have finished selecting the documents to upload, click on the ‘Save’ button to transmit your document to your medical record.
  9. Student Health will upload your clearance letter to the ‘Letters’ section of the patient portal.

I was tested elsewhere, do I need to test again?

Yes. Our goal is to ensure your health and safety and that of the entire campus community. Therefore, we would like you to participate in our testing. It will take no more than 15 minutes to complete the self-administered test.

If you have tested COVID-19 positive elsewhere, please upload a copy of your positive test results through the Student Health Portal, for review and further direction. Upload instructions are here. You may be exempt from weekly testing for a period of three (3) months from the date of your positive test.

Staff and Faculty Testing

How to schedule your appointment

UCI employees working on-site, including graduate students, postdocs, and research assistants, are invited to participate in a weekly asymptomatic COVID-19 testing program.

If you have not been invited but are interested, you will need your UCInetID and a CampusGroups account to add your name to the wait list. If you do not have a CampusGroups account, please click on this link to learn how to set one up. If you do not know your UCInetID, you may find it in the directory.

If you have already received your email invitation, please review these instructions carefully:

  • Participation is voluntary, but participants should be willing to commit to weekly testing on the same day of each week.
  • Tests are self-administered and involve either saliva capture (through a straw) or swabbing of the front of the nose (nares/nostril swab).
  • Employees who are experiencing symptoms on their designated testing day should stay home and follow the instructions at the Report COVID Website.
  • Employees who have had a positive COVID-19 PCR test within the past 90 days or are under isolation/quarantine restrictions are excluded from participating.  
  • You must bring a photo ID to your testing appointment each week.
  • If your test returns with a positive result, you will be contacted by UCI's Contact Tracing & Vaccine Navigation Services for instructions.
  • Appropriate health privacy and reporting rules will apply.

Employees may schedule their recurring appointments, by logging in to the Student Health Patient Portal with their UCINetID and password. Once in the portal,

  • Select “Appointments” on the left navigation sidebar.
  • Click on “Schedule an Appointment”.
  • Select “COVID-19 Testing” – click “Continue”.
  • Select “Staff Testing” – click “Continue”.
  • Testing location available to employees – the Division of Continuing Education (DCE).
  • Select “COVID-19 Mass Testing Scheduling” – click “Continue”.
  • Confirm Your Contact Information (email address; local telephone; local address) – click “Continue”.
  • Enter Your Callback Number (required in case the staff from the Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (COEH) or the scheduling staff within Student Health need to contact you regarding the appointment you are scheduling) – click “Continue”
  • Schedule Your First and Recurring Appointments.
    • Select a testing location from the drop-down.  Make sure you select a site for employees.
    • Click on “Search for Appointments”.
    • Please select one of the days of the week and a time that is most compatible with your schedule and to which you can commit on a weekly, recurring basis.
    • If your weekly recurring appointment falls on a holiday or if you need to reschedule, please call the Student Health Center’s appointment line at 949-824-5304 to reschedule that week’s appointment.  There must be a minimum of five (5) days between weekly testing appointments if you need to reschedule during any given week.  
    • Your original weekly recurring appointment will resume the following week.
    • Please add your weekly recurring appointment day, time and location to your calendar and set a reminder! – click “Continue”
    • Confirm your appointment date and time and then click “Schedule”.

Testing location for staff:

Scheduling instructions

What to expect and what to bring

On the day of your testing appointment,

  1. Complete your Daily Symptom Check.
    1. If you are not showing symptoms, keep your appointment and proceed to your testing location.
    2. If you are showing symptoms, do not go to the test collection site. Please contact the UCI Center for Occupational and Environmental Health at (949) 824-8685 for assessment and priority testing.
  2. Know where you are going and give yourself enough time to get there.
    1. Confirm the location of your appointment and locate it on the map.
    2. Plan to arrive at least 10 minutes before your appointment time.
  3. Don’t leave home without these items:
    1. Face covering (and a spare face covering)
    2. Your photo ID

Please do NOT bring anyone with you unless absolutely necessary.

FAQs

Employee FAQs

If you have COVID-19-related questions, please contact the UCI Coronavirus Hotline at 949-824-9918 or email covid19@uci.edu.

Why are we testing employees?

While the majority of COVID-19 cases are associated with symptoms including very mild cold/flu-like symptoms, research as shown that a significant portion of the population could be asymptomatic. Our testing helps to identify asymptomatic cases and protect the UCI community at large. 

Do I perform the test myself?

The test currently being utilized is a self-administered nasal swab test. There will be trained staff there to educate employees on how to administer the test correctly.

In the future, UCI may transition fully or partially to other types of testing.

How long does the entire process take?

The entire process, from check-in to completion of the testing, takes about 10 minutes.

What if I don’t want to be tested? Or cannot be tested due to religious reasons?

A key aspect for maintaining a healthy Anteater community is the need to test all students, staff and faculty currently on campus, on an on-going basis. This is a necessary precaution to help control thespread of the coronavirus and maintain the health of the campus community.

While the majority of COVID-19 cases are associated with symptoms including very mild cold/flu like symptoms, research has shown that a significant proportion of the populations could be asymptomatic. Our testing helps to identify asymptomatic cases and protect the UCI community at large. Participation is voluntary.

What if I need a special accommodations?

If an employee needs assistance at the testing site with administering the test or other assistance, staff will be available. The Center for Occupational and Environmental Health can assist any employee who need a special accommodation.

How long does it take to get the results?

Test results should be available on the Student Health site 2 days after you’ve completed your test. You will receive an auto-generated email notifying you that lab results are available on the portal.

Employees testing positive for coronavirus will be contacted by the Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (COEH) with instructions for isolation and treatment. Employees whose test is “inconclusive” will be contacted by COEH to obtain a nasopharyngeal test as soon as possible. Please be sure to check phone calls during this window.

What happens if I test negative?

If your test is NEGATIVE (not detected):

1. You are cleared to proceed with normal social distancing and health safety practices, this includes frequent handwashing, physical distancing, and wearing a facial covering.

2. Testing negative does not mean that you’re not susceptible to the virus.

3. Continue to attend regular testing.

What happens if I test positive?

Employees testing positive for coronavirus will be contacted by the Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (COEH) with instructions for isolation and treatment. Additionally, a contact tracer will call to interview you about who you have been in close contact with. You will also receive instructions on self-isolation during recovery and assure you have the resources you need.

Important Note for employees with previous COVID-positive tests:

If you have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 3 months, you will not participate in this testing program. Please contact COEH at (949) 824-8685 for further information.

I was tested elsewhere, do I need to test again?

Yes. Our goal is to ensure your health and safety and that of the entire campus community. Therefore, we encourage you to participate in our testing.

If you have tested COVID-19 positive elsewhere, please contact COEH at (949) 824-8685 for further instructions.