Pooled COVID-19 Testing Up and Running in Arizona Schools

Written by: Sonora Quest Laboratories and Concentric by Ginkgo

Sonora Quest Laboratories and Concentric by Ginkgo have teamed up to provide onsite PCR pooled testing to all Arizona schools for free thanks to federal funding distributed through the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS). As COVID-19 rates for children continue to rise, families are looking for additional testing options. Encouraging families to participate in pooled COVID-19 testing through their schools is an easy way to help families and school decision-makers get the answers they need to keep students safe and schools open.

Below are answers to questions you or your families might have about the school-based pooled COVID-19 testing:

Classroom pooling tests up to 25 people using one test. All students in a class, pod, or cohort who have consented (or had their parents’/guardians’ consent) swab their own noses using their own individual short nasal swabs. Those samples are all placed in one collection tube and processed together as a pooled sample by Sonora Quest Laboratories. This saves vital resources and allows for frequent, cost-effective testing.

Offering onsite pooled testing at schools reduces the demand for in-office COVID-19 tests, which allows physicians and healthcare providers to focus on other areas of vital care patients need.

Sonora Quest Laboratories processes the pooled samples using PCR (also known as molecular) testing, the gold-standard in COVID-19 testing.

If a pooled sample produces a positive result, schools will be able to make informed decisions about specific classrooms instead of making decisions that affect the entire school. The ADHS-recommended next step is to conduct follow-up testing the next day on school premises for the students that were part of the positive pool. This can be an individual PCR test or a rapid antigen test.

Concentric by Ginkgo provides testing results to schools which are then responsible for notifying participating families.

Schools set their own testing requirements. Parents and guardians are required to consent for a student to participate in testing.

Sonora Quest has rigorous standards for monitoring the accuracy of all its testing, resulting in pooled testing with the same accuracy as individual COVID-19 testing. Read the pool validation summary here.

The actual sample collections occur by observed self-collection, performed by the students themselves under supervision. As one student said, “It’s a free chance to pick my nose.” Schools do have an adult(s) trained to take sample collections in case a student needs assistance.

The frequency of testing is determined by each school and can vary by subpopulations. Some higher-risk subpopulations — like student-athletes — might be tested more frequently than lower-risk subpopulations — like overnight facility staff. Most schools test the average school population once a week.

Twenty-two Arizona school districts and 81 private or charter schools are currently offering or preparing to offer pooled COVID-19 testing to their students, staff, and faculty. Click here to read about Phoenix’s Madison School District’s pooled testing experience from the point of view of a parent and school board member.

Concentric provides the onboarding, training, and supplies needed for the pooled testing. Schools are able to sign up for pooled testing through Concentric.

Contact the school districts in the areas you live and serve and ask them if they are offering pooled testing. If not, recommend they reach out to Concentric by Ginkgo.

If they are, let your patients, friends, and family members know pooled testing is being offered at their schools and encourage them to consent to their children being tested.

Sonora Quest offers information here. Concentric by Ginkgo offers a section for family members — including a video of the test in action — here. ADHS also offers a large list of frequently asked questions here.

It is difficult to balance the concerns and benefits around students returning to in-person school. COVID-19 pooled testing in schools provides the answers everyone needs to help make those tough decisions.

About Sonora Quest Laboratories

Sonora Quest Laboratories, a joint venture between Banner Health and Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX), is part of the nation’s largest integrated laboratory system with approximately 3,500 employees serving more than 28,000 patients every day throughout Arizona. Sonora Quest Laboratories is the market share leader in clinical laboratory testing in Arizona, performing more than 85 million diagnostic tests per year. Sonora Quest Laboratories offers a local comprehensive test menu which encompasses routine, molecular, prescription drug monitoring, genetic/genomic, women’s health and pathology testing services. My Lab ReQuest provides consumers direct access to a diverse range of affordable screening tests that can be ordered online at SonoraQuest.com or in any of Sonora Quest’s 75 patient service centers across Arizona. Ninety-five percent of all testing is performed at the primary testing facilities located in Phoenix, Tucson, Flagstaff, Prescott and Yuma. Sonora Quest Laboratories is accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP), which is the gold standard in laboratory accreditation, helping laboratories to maintain accuracy of test results and ensure accurate patient diagnosis. This accreditation ensures the highest standard of care for all laboratory patients as CAP inspectors examine laboratory staff. For more information, visit www.sonoraquest.com.

About Ginkgo Bioworks

Ginkgo is building a platform to enable customers to program cells as easily as we can program computers. The company’s platform is enabling biotechnology applications across diverse markets, from food and agriculture to industrial chemicals to pharmaceuticals. Ginkgo has also actively supported a number of COVID-19 response efforts, including K-12 pooled testing, vaccine manufacturing optimization and therapeutics discovery. For more information, visit WWW.GINKGOBIOWORKS.COM.