To keep our campus community safe, UB is committed to mandatory weekly testing for all campus community members who are not up to date with their vaccinations and have regular on-campus contact.
Mandatory weekly testing will continue for those who
Get up to date. To better align with federal health guidance, UB will adopt the CDC definition of “up to date,” which means a person has received all recommended COVID-19 vaccines, including boosters when eligible. This replaces the phrase “fully vaccinated,” which the CDC defines as having received the primary series of COVID-19 vaccines.
The days and hours on-campus testing sites will be operational will be reduced through most of the summer months.
SUNY’s updated policy on surveillance testing requires UB to administer weekly testing of all students (including graduate and professional), faculty and staff who are on campus and are not up to date with their vaccinations or fail to verify that they are up to date with their vaccinations, including those who have received a vaccination exemption and those who have received their primary vaccination and are not yet time eligible for booster.
Weekly testing is also required for those who have received an approved religious or medical exemption, and for those who have received their primary vaccination and are not yet time eligible for booster.
Up To Date
Students and employees who are regularly on campus will no longer need to participate in mandatory weekly testing upon verifying that they are up to date with their vaccinations
Not Up To Date
Weekly testing is required for faculty, staff and students who are on campus and are not up to date with their vaccinations or fail to verify that they are up to date with their vaccinations. Weekly testing is also required for those who have received an approved religious or medical exemption, and for those who have received their primary vaccination and are not yet time eligible for booster.
FOR STUDENTS, THIS INCLUDES (regardless of vaccination exemption status):
FOR FACULTY AND STAFF:
All employees who are coming to campus on a regular basis will be expected to be tested every week, and are selected according to the following criteria:
Employees with a positive case in the past 90 days have been removed from the list for surveillance testing.
Individuals who work remotely do not have to come to campus for surveillance testing.
Surveillance testing is available on the North, South and Downtown campuses. Appointments are only required as noted below.
Students
Students who have tested positive are excused from testing for three months from their positive test date. To be excused due to a previous positive, the student must provide documentation of their positive case using this confidential online reporting form.
See below for testing locations and hours.
Faculty/Staff
Faculty and staff may walk up to any open location, and will have early access to testing on Tuesdays in Talbert Hall.
Students and employees who are regularly on campus will no longer need to participate in mandatory weekly testing upon verifying that they are up to date with their vaccinations.
However, required weekly testing will continue for those who are on campus and are not up to date with their vaccinations or fail to verify that they are up to date.
Employees can learn how to provide proof of vacation through the HR’s COVID-19 employee guide. Students can submit vaccination documentation through the Student Health Services portal.
The days and hours on-campus testing sites will be operational will be reduced through most of the summer months.
Talbert is located on the North Campus.
Monday | 9 a.m.–4 p.m. | Students and Employees | No appointment needed. Walk-up only. |
Tuesday | 9 a.m.–4 p.m. | Students and Employees | No appointment needed. Walk-up only. |
The Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences is located on the Downtown campus. UB students and employees must have their UB ID to be able to access the building.
NOTE: This testing location will be closed the week of May 23.
Wednesday–Thursday | 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. | Students and Employees | No appointment needed. Walk-up only. |
SUNY’s updated policy on surveillance testing requires UB to administer weekly testing of all students, faculty and staff who are on campus and are not up to date or fail to verify that they are up to date.
UB’s COVID-19 surveillance testing program is more targeted than mass testing programs. It focuses on testing students and employees who are asymptomatic, meaning that they are not showing symptoms of disease. This helps UB monitor COVID-19 trends within the UB community, including identifying potential hot spots, and make timely decisions to prevent outbreaks from occurring.
Regular COVID-19 testing is an effective way to keep our campus safe, and disregarding this mandate will have consequences.
Testing will continue throughout the semester.
The days and hours on-campus testing sites will be operational will be reduced through most of the summer months.
Students: No appointment necessary. You must still register for testing with SUNY (Step 2). There is no charge associated with this test.
Faculty and staff: Do not need to make an appointment and should proceed to Step 2.
Students, faculty and staff do not need to make appointments and may walk up to any open testing location.
To proceed to your test, follow the signs that have been placed by the entrance. Continue to observe all applicable campus health and safety guidelines at all times and follow the instructions of testing site staff.
UB will be utilizing a pooled testing method. Specific instructions to complete the saliva sample collection will be given at each testing location, with staff on-site to provide assistance.
Surveillance testing results that take longer than 48 hours may be due to registration errors. To avoid delays, all participants should review their registration profile and ensure that “SUNY Buffalo” appears as the organization. At the testing site, it’s essential that the name on the specimen label exactly match the name in the registration profile, and that the date of birth follow the mm/dd/yyyy format.
Log in and update your registration profile at https://app.clarifi-covid-19.com/ and verify:
NOTE: It is essential that your specimen label match your registration profile. On the label, write your name EXACTLY as it appears in your profile and enter your birthdate as mm/dd/yyyy. Failure to do so could lead to delayed results.
There is no charge associated with this test.
This test, developed by SUNY Upstate Medical University and approved by the New York State Department of Health for use by all SUNY institutions, evaluates saliva samples collected from individuals that have been pooled (combined) with others. This pooled sampling enables researchers to test greater swaths of the community more rapidly while preserving the scientific integrity of the data.
Updated February 5, 2021
SUNY’s updated policy on surveillance testing requires UB to administer weekly testing of all students, faculty and staff who are on campus and are not up to date with their vaccinations against COVID-19 or fail to verify that they are up to date.
Students and employees who are regularly on campus will no longer need to participate in mandatory weekly testing upon verifying that they are up to date with their vaccinations.
However, required weekly testing will continue for those who are on campus and are not up to date with their vaccinations or fail to verify that they are up to date.
Employees can learn how to provide proof of vacation through the HR’s COVID-19 employee guide. Students can submit vaccination documentation through the Student Health Services portal.
Updated January 7, 2022
SUNY’s updated policy on surveillance testing requires UB to administer weekly testing of all students(including graduate and professional), faculty and staff who are on campus and are not up to date with their vaccinations against COVID-19 or fail to verify that they are up to date.
Up To Date
Students and employees who are regularly on campus will no longer need to participate in mandatory weekly testing upon verifying that they are up to date with their vaccinations against COVID-19. Human Resources has provided guidance to employees on how to provide proof of vaccination. Students can submit vaccination documentation through the Student Health Services portal.
Individuals Not Up To Date
Required weekly testing will continue for those who are on campus and are not up to date with their vaccinations against COVID-19 or fail to verify that they are up to date.
FOR FACULTY AND STAFF:
All employees who are coming to campus on a regular basis will be expected to be tested every week, and are selected according to the following criteria:
Employees with a positive case in the past 90 days have been removed from the list for surveillance testing.
If your schedule has changed and you are working remotely, you are not expected to come in for testing.
Updated January 7, 2022
After you have completed the test, your sample will be combined with 11 other samples. That pool will be tested for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
Updated October 29, 2021
There will be testing sites located on UB’s North and South campuses. More information about surveillance testing is available here.
Updated September 1, 2021
Regular COVID-19 testing is an effective way to keep our campus safe, and students disregarding this mandate will face consequences.
Updated February 5, 2021
Students must be tested at one of the UB weekly surveillance testing locations. Students who have tested positive are excused from testing for three months.
Faculty and staff, please see the COVID-19 Employee Guide.
Updated January 6, 2022
Use the Coronavirus Self-Checker to assess your symptoms. If you experience any of these symptoms or feel unwell, quarantine as a precaution and contact your health care provider.
If students need to miss class due to illness, isolation or quarantine, they must notify their instructor by email as soon as possible and no later than 24 hours after missing class. Residential students may request assistance from Campus Living to provide faculty notifications.
Students, please submit a surveillance testing excuse by email.
If you experience these symptoms*, seek emergency medical attention immediately:
*This list is not all possible symptoms. Please call your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning to you.
If this is a medical emergency notify the dispatcher that you have COVID-19 or symptoms suggestive of COVID-19. Put on your facemask before emergency medical services arrive:
Updated August 16, 2021
UB continues to utilize the pooled collection/testing protocol for the weekly surveillance testing program. Your pool results will typically take 24-48 hours to process. If your pool tests positive, the constituent samples will be tested individually, and it may take an additional 24 hours to receive your individual results. All result times may be subject to weather delays. The lab will send an automated message alerting you when your results are available. If you are identified as a member of a positive pool, you will also receive communication from the university.
To view surveillance testing results, UB students and employees may log into https://app.clarifi-covid-19.com/ (the same site used to register for the on-campus testing each week) and click from the main screen to view their test results:
Updated January 6, 2022
While some delayed results are due to factors beyond anyone’s control, many of them are due to registration errors. To make sure you get your weekly surveillance test results promptly, do the following.
Log in and update your registration profile at https://app.clarifi-covid-19.com/ and verify:
Your registration profile MUST match your specimen label in order for testing to be complete. On the specimen label, be sure to:
Updated April 19, 2021
While some delayed surveillance test results are due to factors beyond anyone’s control, many of them are due to registration errors. An email was sent to all surveillance testing participants asking them to update their registration profile to make sure they receive their weekly surveillance test results promptly. Please do the following.
Log in and update your registration profile at https://app.clarifi-covid-19.com/ and verify:
Your registration profile MUST match your specimen label in order for testing to be complete. On the specimen label, be sure to:
Updated April 29, 2021
Individuals in a pool that tests negative are presumed to be coronavirus-free; however, a negative test result only demonstrates that you and the others in your pool had undetectable levels of virus at the time that samples were taken.
Research shows that the virus may take 5-7 days after initial exposure to reach detectable levels. You may have been tested inside this window, which means you (or anyone else in your pool) could have been infected but with undetectable levels of virus, or you may have been exposed to the virus after getting tested but before getting the results.
Even if your results come back negative, you must continue to follow UB’s Health and Safety Guidelines. Wear a face covering, practice physical distancing, wash hands frequently and stay home if you feel sick.
Updated February 5, 2021
Participants in the pooled surveillance testing are not required to quarantine after specimen collection. However, if your pool’s test results are positive, your original sample will then be tested separately. This can be done using a portion of your saliva from the original sample. Results from the testing of the individual samples from a positive pool may take one to two days to be processed. During that time, you will be instructed to quarantine. If you are confirmed to be positive by the testing of your individual sample, you will be required to isolate. Individuals who test negative in the individual test will be released from quarantine.
Students living on campus who are directed to isolate will be housed in designated housing. See Quarantine Information for Students.
Updated February 5, 2021
If your individual sample tests positive, you will be required to isolate.
Any student who receives a positive COVID-19 test result should isolate and report it via UB’s confidential reporting form.
Any employee who receives a positive COVID-19 test result should report it to their supervisor and to UB’s Office of Human Resources - HR will provide guidance.
Any student who receives a positive COVID-19 test result should report it via UB’s confidential reporting form.
If students need to miss class due to illness, isolation or quarantine, they must notify their instructor by email as soon as possible and no later than 24 hours after missing class. Residential students may request assistance from Campus Living to provide faculty notifications.
Residential students have the option to isolation/quarantine in designated on-campus housing. See Quarantine Information for Residence Hall Students for more information.
Any employee who receives a positive COVID-19 test result should isolate and report it to their supervisor and to UB’s Office of Human Resources - HR will provide guidance.
UB Human Resources
716-645-7777
ub-hr@buffalo.edu
The Erie County Department of Health asks that anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 to self-isolate, notify household members and other close contacts. If you are a close contact, you must follow the CDC guidance for Quarantine and Isolation.
Updated October 20, 2021
As part of the amended SUNY mandate, those who have had a positive PCR test should not participate in surveillance testing for 90 days from the date of their positive test. After that 90-day period, they will again be required to participate in regular surveillance testing if not up to date with their vaccinations against COVID-19.
Students who have tested positive are excused from testing for three months. To be excused due to a previous positive, the student must provide documentation of their positive case using this confidential online reporting form.
Faculty and staff, please see the the employee guide.
Updated January 6, 2022
Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 must immediately isolate. UB is able to house and support residential students who require on-campus isolation.
Anyone can complete their isolation at home provided that they:
Additionally, anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19 and is isolating at home should use a separate bedroom and bathroom, if possible, to reduce the risk of exposing any other individuals in the home.
Any student who receives a positive COVID-19 test result should isolate and report it via UB’s confidential reporting form.
If students need to miss class due to illness, isolation or quarantine, they must notify their instructor by email as soon as possible and no later than 24 hours after missing class. Residential students may request assistance from Campus Living to provide faculty notifications.
Residential students have the option to isolate/quarantine in designated on-campus housing. See Quarantine Information for Residence Hall Students for more information.
Any employee who receives a positive COVID-19 test result should isolate and report it to their supervisor and to UB’s Office of Human Resources. HR will provide additional guidance.
UB Human Resources
716-645-7777
ub-hr@buffalo.edu
The Erie County Department of Health asks that anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 to self-isolate, notify household members and other close contacts. If you are a close contact, you must follow the CDC guidance for Quarantine and Isolation.
All students and employees, regardless of vaccination status, should closely monitor their health, stay home if they develop symptoms of COVID-19 and get tested immediately.
Updated August 23, 2021
SUNY’s current policy on surveillance testing requires UB to administer weekly testing of all students(including graduate and professional), faculty and staff who are on campus and are not up to date with their vaccinations against COVID-19 or fail to verify that they are up to date.
Updated November 9, 2021
No, the tests that you participate in are already included in the campus testing process.
Updated February 5, 2021
Yes, unvaccinated students who tested off campus prior to their return to campus for the spring semester as well as those who participate in periodic off-campus testing must participate in weekly surveillance testing if not up to date with their vaccinations against COVID-19.
Updated January 6, 2022
NYS recommends anyone with COVID-19 symptoms seek testing at a primary care or urgent care location where they can be evaluated by a medical professional.
For additional testing locations:
Updated March 28, 2022
Updated January 19, 2022