The University makes rapid antigen test kits and packs of KN95 masks available to all Brown students, faculty (including postdocs) and staff as part of its health and safety protocols.
Employees and students with approved exemptions from COVID-19 vaccination continue to be required to PCR test twice a week.
Collecting information on positive test results remains an important part of Brown’s COVID-19 response. The use of antigen tests for routine testing of vaccinated members of the community reflects emerging data that PCR tests are no longer the best available tool to reduce the risk of poor health outcomes from COVID-19 in a largely vaccinated and boosted population such as the Brown campus (which has achieved near-universal vaccination rates).
Since June 2020, the University had maintained an on-campus routine testing program utilizing PCR testing for asymptomatic people, which became largely optional for vaccinated community members in early October 2021. While that program served the campus well rapid antigen tests answer the most important question in the Omicron era: “Am I infectious now?” They do so by detecting proteins from the virus that causes COVID-19. While no test is perfect, a positive rapid test result means that the person is very likely infectious at that point and must take steps to isolate themselves from others.
PCR tests are designed to detect fragments of viral RNA, and while they are highly effective at doing so, they cannot determine who is actively infected and contagious; who might have transient colonization that never turns into an infection; or who might have been infected and recovered weeks ago. A PCR positive test result for any member of our community on any given date could potentially mean they were infectious many weeks or even months earlier, and does little to help the University reduce the risk of serious illness on campus in a current moment.