COVID-19 Testing

Pooled testing means up to 25 individuals can be screened using a single test. Each person in a class, pod, or cohort swabs their own nose and places the swab in a tube with the others.  The samples in the tube are then analyzed as a single sample, using one test.

Tools like pooled testing help our leaders make informed decisions. Without knowing the actual prevalence of COVID-19 in the schools, it is difficult to make decisions that are in the best interest of our school community.  Testing also gives students, parents, families, and staff peace of mind knowing that decisions are being made based on current data.

Pooled testing is most effective when everyone who is eligible participates.

Classroom pooling is a method where lower nasal swab specimens from everyone in a class or group are mixed together and analyzed with a single molecular test. This provides population-level data so school leaders can make informed public health decisions at a fraction of the cost of individual testing plans. 

This is a self-collected anterior nasal (AN) swab. Unlike a nasopharyngeal (NP) swab which reaches deep into the nose to take a sample from the back of the throat, an AN sample is taken from the lower part of the front of the nose, at least half an inch inside the nostril. This method increases comfort and requires less PPE than NP swabs. Instead of a healthcare provider collecting the samples, students can easily collect their own samples with adult supervision. 

Pooled testing covers many people with a single test.  This dramatically reduces the cost of testing without sacrificing accuracy. Pooled testing also requires less coordination, effort and time, and it is less disruptive to the school day.

If the test result is negative, it is unlikely that anyone in the group is infected, and students can continue with their normal activities. If the test result is positive, an intervention can be made to prevent a possible outbreak.

Each student will swab their own nose with a short swab that goes only half an inch into the nostril. A trained adult will observe the process from a safe distance.  If students have trouble performing the test, the supervising adult will be available to help.

If a student who recently recovered from COVID-19 is included in a pooled test, it is possible that the test will result in a false positive. As a result, we recommend that individuals who recently tested positive for COVID-19 not be included in pooled testing for at least 3 months after recovery.

Test results will be sent directly to schools, and your child's school will communicate with you as needed.  Test results will not be used for any purpose other than providing data to school leaders so they can make informed decisions about safety measures and our capacity to continue in-person learning.

A pooled test provides a single result for an entire classroom or group, not for individuals. So, if a pooled test indicates a positive result, the school would know that at least one person in the class or group is likely positive, but they would not know the specific student until an individual test is administered.

The Concentric by Ginkgo next-generation sequencing (NGS) assay has been validated for individual and pooled samples. When analyzing individual samples, there was a 96% percent positive agreement and 100% percent negative agreement with both nasopharyngeal and anterior nasal swab clinical samples run with a high sensitivity RT-qPCR comparator assay. When testing contrived 35-dry swab pooled samples at no virus (0 copies/mL), low viral concentrations (1500 copies/mL) and high viral concentrations (75,000 copies/mL), there was a 100% concordance with the expected result. 

The NGS test is a laboratory-developed test (LDT) that has been validated and is conducted in a CLIA-certified lab located in Boston, Massachusetts.

To get started, you must fill out a consent form giving permission for your child to participate in a pooled test for COVID-19. Completing the form should take no more than five minutes. 

You can select the link above to access the online consent form, or you can print and complete the paper consent form and give it to your school nurse.  The access code for your child's school is in the table above.

If you need to provide consent for more than one child, please complete an individual form for each child.

Concentric and Ginkgo do not collect information from individuals in a pooled test.  All test information is stored outside of Concentric and Ginkgo’s lab systems in our third-party partners’ HIPAA compliant systems. These partners only collect the information necessary to provide results in accordance with CLIA regulations and report to public health authorities. In all cases, the handling of data will comply with HIPAA.