Evaluation of screen, test, & protect: A public health program to control and prevent COVID-19 at a large academic university

Abstract

Background: We evaluate the public health surveillance program, Screen, Test, and Protect (STP) designed to control and prevent COVID-19 at a large academic university in the United States. Methods: STP was established at the University of Florida in May 2020. This report details STP’s full-time workforce, centralized database, and testing and vaccination programs. We evaluate the program’s success in controlling COVID-19 during the 2020–2021 academic school year. Results: COVID-19 cases rose among the campus community in the first few weeks of campus reopening in Fall 2020. Test positivity levels returned to prefall semester levels within one month, however. A few additional, yet smaller, waves occurred during the 2020–2021 school year and were successfully controlled without any campus-wide closures. Conclusions: This program may serve as a framework for other institutions managing the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, in addition to setting the standard for programmatic management of future emerging infectious diseases at universities.

Keywords:

• Collegiate health
• COVID-19
• emerging infectious diseases
• public health practice
• surveillance

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of the United States of America and received approval from the Institutional Review Board of the University of Florida.

Reference to specific commercial products, manufacturers, companies, or trademarks does not constitute its endorsement or recommendation by the U.S. Government, Department of Health and Human Services, or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Florida Department of Health and the University of Florida. The funders had no role in the decision to submit for publication.