San Diego County is working with the University of California at San Diego on a pilot program that can provide a roadmap for schools to reopen safely while our community is vaccinated.
The Safer at School Early Alert system, or “Sassy” as the participants call it, is an evidence-based program to detect SARS-CoV-2 in schools and day care centers. The project started with technology launched as part of UC San Diego’s Return to Learn program, which collects daily samples of wastewater that are tested for the eliminated coronavirus.
In the past four months, Safer at School Early Alert has been tested in 10 schools and two daycare centers in communities at greatest risk for COVID-19, including San Ysidro, Chula Vista, El Cajon, southeastern San Diego and Vista.
“We know that, through the pandemic, the educational gap has widened – often in our communities most affected by the pandemic,” said Nathan Fletcher, chairman of the County Board of Supervisors. “In my discussions with UCSD researchers and my COVID-19 Scientific Advisory Group, it became clear that there were low-cost alternatives to regular tests that would allow some of the most affected students to return to school safely. Through this pilot and financing through the federal CARES Law appropriated by the Board, we were able to test new testing options. It is my hope that we can expand this program. “
Through daily monitoring of wastewater and surface water, Safer at School Early Alert tests for the presence of coronavirus particles and is combined with a responsive testing strategy. The goal is to quickly identify children or staff members infected with COVID-19 before an outbreak occurs.
The pilot’s three elements are using a robot at a sewer outlet to collect daily samples of wastewater that are tested at UC San Diego School of Medicine, scrubbing the floor daily for settling virus particles and a testing program Free PCR. Nurseries also send diapers used to test fecal samples in children who have not yet been trained to use the potty.
A second step includes daily monitoring of the surface. Teachers or staff use a cotton swab to sample a section of a square foot from the center of the floor in a classroom, which is where aerosols tend to settle. These samples are tested daily in the UC San Diego laboratory.
Testing children and staff at each location is the third part of the detection program. Children and staff who voluntarily consent are subjected to free COVID-19 PCR tests at their schools or daycare centers in response to a positive result from wastewater or surface monitoring.
“Safe reopening of schools remains a priority for San Diego County,” said Wilma J. Wooten, MD, MPH, county public health officer. “What UC San Diego demonstrated with the Safer at School Early Alert pilot program models the types of steps that can help us facilitate a return to classroom education as we continue to fight the virus.