COVID Pooled Testing

Pooled testing combines samples from up to ten (10) students and performs a COVID-19 PCR test on that group. If the results of the test indicate that any of the samples are positive, follow-up tests will be given to each student in the pool to determine which student tested positive.

Medford and Somerville are partnering with Tufts University to safely reopen schools through pooled COVID-19 testing for all students and staff. Tufts successfully piloted the pooled testing strategy in September on our campus and is now rolling it out to these communities. Weekly pooled testing allows students to benefit from a regular schedule of classes, extra-curricular activities, and school-based support services. The testing regimen should give parents confidence that their children are learning in a safe environment.

Weekly pooled testing helps to identify COVID-19 cases more quickly, possibly even before symptoms occur. The testing regimen works in combination with the safety protocols established by Medford and Somerville public schools. These include limiting class sizes, spacing desks more than 6 feet apart, mandated mask-wearing, enhanced cleaning procedures, and ensuring that rooms meet air quality standards.

Students who are in-person will be tested once per week, plus follow-up testing if needed.  Staff who are in-person will be tested once or twice per week.

The test being used is a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) Diagnostic Assay test. This is a safe, high-quality, accurate test for COVID-19. Samples from the respiratory system (through nasal swabs) are checked to determine whether infection with COVID-19 is present. Tests are processed at the Broad Institute, which is certified under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA), 42 U.S.C. §263a, to perform high complexity tests. The Broad Institute has already worked with many universities in the area using this methodology.

Based on the Tufts pilot study, pooled testing was as effective as individual testing at detecting COVID-19. Because pooled testing costs are significantly lower, schools are able to test a larger population of students regularly.

Please note that a negative test result does not definitively indicate that there is no virus present in an individual’s system, particularly in cases where the person was infected very recently. This is why getting tested every week is so important and why students should continue to wear masks, practice social distancing, and wash their hands regularly.

If a pooled test is positive, parents of each student in the pool will be contacted immediately by a medical professional who will direct them to a secondary location for further comprehensive testing.

Testing is free for families. All testing costs are paid for by the school districts.

Each school district will decide whether testing is a requirement for attending in-person classes. Testing is strongly encouraged to keep our schools and communities safe.

Yes. The systems are designed and carefully monitored to keep all of the information needed to run the testing program private and secure and, where they apply, comply with HIPAA and other regulatory requirements. Access to the personal information stored in the system is limited to staff who are involved in running the testing program. All of the testing data is encrypted in storage and when transmitted.

Yes. All students and staff must still adhere to all public health protocols in order to maintain the lowest possible levels of community transmission.

Yes. Testing in schools will benefit the community as a whole by improving contact tracing and allowing groups to quarantine more quickly. These benefits will ultimately reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the community.