Surveillance-to-Diagnostic Testing Program for Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infections on a Large, Urban Campus - Georgia Institute of Technology, Fall 2020

A SARS-CoV-2 testing program combining pooled saliva sample surveillance leading to diagnosis and intervention surveyed over 112,000 samples from 18,029 students, staff and faculty, as part of integrative efforts to mitigate transmission at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Fall 2020. Cumulatively, 1,508 individuals were confirmed diagnostically. The surveillance strategy, including focused intensification of testing given case clusters, was effective in disrupting transmission following rapid case increases upon entry in August 2020, and again in November 2020. Owing to broad adoption by the campus community, the program protected higher risk staff while allowing some normalization of research activities.