A Testing, Tracing, and Supported Isolation (TTSI) program is based on the strategy of diagnostic testing to quickly identify and isolate cases, tracing contacts of cases, quarantining and testing contacts, and so on. Three essential metrics necessary to evaluate the performance of the testing component of such a program are Daily New Test Results, Test Positivity Rate, and average Test Turnaround Time.
How has UTK's new cases chart changed over time? Let's take a deeper look.
Within UTK's jurisdiction, how does its key metrics compare to Knox County?
Current Pooled Saliva information known for Spring 2021.
UTK officials are scrambling to confine the actual severity of COVID-19 on campus. In doing so, UTK has ignored recommendations from Dr. Birx’s campus visit and are now electing to ignore direct recommendations from the White House.
University officials have championed a substantial decline in the amount of COVID-19 cases within the past several weeks. This sentiment appears to parrot the Trump administration's strategy that COVID-19 will simply go away if we don't test.
The University of Tennessee did not have an extensive COVID testing plan before classes started and has yet to implement general student body testing.
UTK has allowed the outbreak to spread uncontrollably, and rather than increasing testing with available capacity, the University has remained dormant. What is there to gain from relying on an experimental method of testing when student health is at risk?
Amidst a scramble of reactive approaches that have allowed the outbreak to burn uncontrolled on UTK's campus, how will the administration answer the critical questions: What's the plan for the remainder of this semester? What about next semester?