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Students, Staff, Visitors To UC San Diego Urged To Get Tested After Coronavirus Detected In Campus Wastewater

December 1, 2020 / 2:59 PM PST / KCAL News

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SAN DIEGO (CBSLA) — UC San Diego is urging its staff, students and visitors to get tested for COVID-19 after active virus was detected in its wastewater.

A letter from Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla says UC San Diego has been able to detect the virus in its wastewater an average of three to five days after infection, earlier than the typical incubation period of up to two weeks. The detection system allows the university to identify people who are positive as early as possible so they can isolate themselves and avoid infecting others.

A "Covid-19 Response Campus Requirements" sign is displayed at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, U.S., on Thursday, July 9, 2020. The U.S. economy is caught in the middle of President Trump's tug-of-war to reopen schools -- and could end up damned no matter what happens. Photographer: Bing Guan/Bloomberg via Getty Images

"The test is an early indication that one or more individuals are shedding the virus; note that viral shedding starts before symptoms develop and is also present in people who never develop symptoms," the university said in a statement.

The week of Thanksgiving, active virus was found in the wastewater outflow of several buildings and residences on the campus. Those buildings include:

Muir College: Tamarack.
Seventh College Buildings: Seventh East Buildings 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Seventh West Buildings 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8.
Mesa Nueva: Cala.
Eleanor Roosevelt College Buildings: North America, Latin America, Earth, ERC Laundry South.
Marshall College Buildings: Lower Apartments C, D, E, F and Marshall College Dean's Residence.
Non-residential buildings: Seventh East 6 (The Bistro), Seventh East 7 (Market and Gallery), Wells Fargo Hall, Otterson Hall, Fireside Lounge.

Campus officials say anyone who has used a restroom in any of the identified buildings between 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 24 to 11 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 27 should get tested promptly.

UC San Diego says thousands of people, including members of the public, visit the campus daily. The campus' wastewater is being monitored at 52 sample sites and there are plans to double the number of sample sites over the next few weeks as part of UC San Diego's strategy to detect coronavirus in the community and reduce transmission of the virus on the campus.