COLUMBIA, S.C. — The SAFE saliva-based COVID-19 testing for students at the University of South Carolina has been postponed, according to the university.
According to Jeff Stensland, Director of UofSC Public Relations, the testing has been temporarily postponed due to staffing shortages in the lab.
"We are currently working to add additional resources and will resume testing as soon as possible and anticipate on-demand testing will be available on Tuesday," Stensland said.
In the meantime, students who are experiencing coronavirus symptoms should contact the Student Health Center to schedule an appointment for a test.
Students are also encouraged to look for community testing locations in the Midlands.
Community testing locations can be found here.
This comes in the same week that Greek life events were canceled in-person and moved to virtual events because almost a dozen Greek houses were placed in quarantine because of students testing positive for COVID-19.
According to Student Health Services, the USC College of Pharmacy is addressing the issue and will make an announcement concerning the pause in testing.
Prisma Health and the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control will host a free testing clinic at 2204 Lee St. in Five Points Friday and Saturday, according to Health Services.
The university is also experiencing a surge in calls into their 24/7 Coronavirus Phone Bank because of the surge in student cases.
The SAFE (Saliva Assay Free Expedited) test is an alternative to nasal swab tests and enables rapid test processing, typically delivering results within 24 hours.