San Diego County is working with the University of California San Diego on a pilot program that can provide a roadmap for schools to reopen safely while our community is vaccinated.
The Safer at School early warning system, or “Sassy”, as participants call it, is an evidence-based program for detecting SARS-CoV-2 in schools and child care centers. The project began with the technology launched as part of UC San Diego’s Return to Learn program, which collects daily wastewater samples that are tested for coronavirus deposition.
In the past four months, Safer at School Early Alert has been piloted in 10 schools and two child care centers in the communities most at risk for COVID-19, including San Ysidro, Chula Vista, El Cajon, Southeastern San Diego and Vista. .
“We know that through the pandemic, the educational gap has widened – often in our communities most affected by the pandemic,” said Nathan Fletcher, chairman of the county board of supervisors. “In my discussions with UCSD researchers and my COVID-19 scientific advisory group, it has become clear that there are lower-cost alternatives to regular testing that would allow some of the most affected students to return to school safely. Through this pilot and funding through the federal CARES Act allocated by the council, we were able to test new testing options. I hope we can expand this program. ”
By daily monitoring of wastewater and surfaces, the Safer Early Warning test at school tests for the presence of coronavirus particles and is combined with a receptive testing strategy. The aim is to quickly identify children or staff members who are infected with COVID-19 before an outbreak occurs.
The three elements of the pilot use a robot in a sewer outlet to collect daily wastewater samples that are tested at UC San Diego School of Medicine, daily floor tamponade for virus particles that have been installed and a program of free PCR testing. Child care sites also send used diapers to test fecal samples to children who are not yet ready for pottery.
A second step includes daily surface monitoring. Teachers or staff use a swab to test a one-square-meter section of the center of the floor in a classroom, where aerosols tend to sit. These samples are tested daily at the UC San Diego lab.
Testing children and staff at each location is the third part of the detection program. Children and staff who give their voluntary consent are subjected to free COVID-19 PCR testing at the school or child care center in response to a positive result from wastewater or surface monitoring.
“The safe opening of schools remains a priority for San Diego County,” said Wilma J. Wooten, MD, MPH, public health officer. “What UC San Diego demonstrated with the Safer at School Early Alert pilot model the types of steps that can help us return to classroom education while continuing to fight the virus.”