Testing and Reporting

 

State, county COVID-19 dashboards

Both the state of Michigan and the Ingham County Health Department publish dashboards as well, detailing the number of cases by area, trends and demographics on positive cases, among other information.

Right to privacy

MSU will not disclose the identity of any person or any information that could potentially identify a person who has tested positive for COVID-19 out of respect for their right to privacy. This includes, but is not limited to, an individual's place of work, residence and groups or teams an individual is associated with on campus, etc. We expect members of our community to respect that right to privacy as well.

Notification policy

As part of our effort to increase transparency while also protecting an individual’s right to privacy, MSU will observe the following communications protocols:

  • MSU’s positive COVID-19 case tracker above will be updated each Monday. This information will include new cases each week categorized by employees and students.
  • Contact tracers will notify individuals believed to have been in close contact with a person who has tested positive. (Definition of close contact: Sustained time — more than 15 minutes — within six feet of a confirmed COVID-19 case.)
  • Because MSU is conducting appropriate contact tracing in partnership with the local health department to identify and notify anyone who might be at risk, units, departments and residence halls will not be sending an email each time there is a positive case on campus.

Testing

Any member of our community exhibiting signs of COVID-19 must seek immediate medical attention. If you are feeling ill or have tested positive for COVID-19 and have questions, contact MSU's COVID-19 Triage Hotline at 855-958-2678 or your primary health care provider.

If you are ill or test positive, you should self-isolate and avoid close contact with others. For students who live on campus, space for isolation will be provided. More information on what to do if you feel sick can be found on the CDC website. 

MSU has activated the following testing locations for students, faculty and staff to be tested (please have your insurance information available when going for a test):

Olin Health Center (by appointment only; for students experiencing symptoms)
Regular hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday – Friday

Spartan Stadium, Southeast Concourse, Gate B. No appointment necessary; for all members of the MSU community (faculty, staff and students) whether symptomatic or not.
Regular hours: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday – Friday; 

For those individuals outside of the MSU community, testing is available at the stadium only for those with a doctor's note and are either symptomatic or have been in direct contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. 

MSU is utilizing its Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory to perform COVID-19 diagnostic testing for the MSU community. MSU also is maintaining our close partnership with the Sparrow Health System to help process test samples.  

MSU COVID-19 Early Detection Program

The COVID-19 Early Detection Program is a key part of MSU's health and safety strategy. For the spring semester, undergraduate students living on campus or coming to campus at any point must sign up for mandatory testing via the Early Detection Program.  

Faculty and staff, as well as students living off-campus this spring semester, also are strongly encouraged to participate in this testing as well. 

Flu vaccine requirement

Students living on campus or coming to campus or any university-controlled property at any point during the spring semester will be required to have received an influenza vaccine. Those students must verify they have received the vaccine before coming to campus in January.

All other students, as well as all faculty and staff, are strongly urged to receive a flu vaccine as well.

Contact tracing/notification app

MSU will continue to work with local health departments and the state on contact tracing for any potential cases. If you are believed to be a close contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, the county health department will follow up with you directly. 

In addition, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget and MSU have launched a COVID-19 exposure notification app pilot program for campus and the surrounding community. The app is a next step to help reduce the spread of the virus following increased testing and additional contact tracing efforts in Michigan. All members of the MSU community are strongly encouraged to sign up.

Finding a testing location elsewhere in Michigan

Call the state of Michigan's COVID Hotline at 888-535-6136 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and press 1 to be connected to an operator who can help you find a nearby location and schedule an appointment; or, visit Michigan.gov/CoronavirusTest to find testing locations near you and schedule an appointment. There are many locations where you can get tested at no cost to you.

Testing and Reporting