Testing and Reporting

Reporting

State, county COVID-19 dashboards

The state of Michigan and the Ingham County Health Department publish COVID-19 dashboards, 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:

  • Contact tracers will notify individuals believed to have been in close contact with a person who has tested positive (only those who are unvaccinated would need to quarantine). 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. 

Members of the MSU community can get tested at the Sparrow Laboratories clinic in Frandor at the former Sears Auto Center. Test results are typically available within 24 hours. In addition, many urgent care centers and pharmacies in the East Lansing area offer testing as well. The state of Michigan also runs a test location finder.

Students experiencing symptoms can receive a rapid COVID-19 test at the Olin Health Center, by appointment only. Regular hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday – Friday.

MSU COVID-19 Early Detection Program

The COVID-19 Early Detection Program is a key part of MSU's health and safety strategy. The program is designed to create a campus-wide net that provides two primary benefits:

  • Secure and timely test data that provides the COVID-19 status of campus community members at the highest risk of transmission. This enables individuals to protect themselves and each other from spread.
  • The generation of actionable, quality population-level data, so that university leaders can make critical, informed, and immediate decisions regarding the health and safety of MSU’s people and places.

Students, faculty and staff are strongly encouraged to participate in the program. 

Contact tracing

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. 

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