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Wednesday February 17, 2021 vol. CXLV no. 2
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NEWS
Designed by: Abby Nishiwaki
Princeton’s COVID-19 lab approved to begin “pooling” samples By Evelyn Doskoch Head News Editor
CANDACE DO / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
The contents of a COVID testing kit, which includes a name tag, an alcohol wipe, a testing vial, and a biohazard bag. NEWS
Last Friday, the University’s COVID-19 testing lab announced via email that it will be switching to a “pooling” method for some saliva samples. Pooling refers to the combining of multiple people’s saliva samples for testing, and was approved for the University by the New Jersey Department of Health. If a pooled-test result is negative, then all samples in the pool can be presumed negative — but if positive, each sample within the pool will be re-tested individually to determine which is positive. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Pooling should be used only in areas or situations where the number of positive test results is expected to be low — for example in areas with a low prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infections.”
Since Jan. 1, Princeton’s positivity rate has fluctuated between 0.06 percent and 0.38 percent in its asymptomatic testing protocol. The University’s email — signed by COVID-19 Response Lead Physician Irini Daskalaki and Professor of Molecular Biology Daniel Notterman — states that students can expect to see “different wording” on the online results for their weekly COVID-19 tests once pooling is implemented. Negative results analyzed using pooling will say “Presumptive Not Detected,” and negative results not using pooling will say “Not Detected,” as previously. According to a U.S. Food and Drug Administration webpage, pooling has “a greater likelihood of false negative results, particularly if not properly validated” due to sample dilution. However, the University email states that the lab submitted validation data to the See NEWS for more
FEATURES
Protestors demand expansion of Princeton COVID-19 community resources By Anika Buch and Miguel Gracia-Zhang
Assistant News Editor and Staff Writer
On Feb. 13 at 4 p.m., approximately 175 protestors gathered in front of FitzRandolph Gate at the intersection of Nassau and Witherspoon Street to demand that the University expand COVID-19 testing, contact tracing, and vaccinations to the greater Princeton community as well as “democratize” its COVID-related decisions. The protestors spread out along all walkways in front of Nassau Hall to maintain social distance. Organizers from Princeton Mutual Aid (PMA) wearing stripes of bright yellow tape moved among the crowd, reminding people to stay six feet apart while handing out flyers and hand warmers. The protest was organized by PMA, Princeton Anti-Austerity Coalition (PAAC), Unidad Latina en Acción New Jersey (ULA), and Princeton Graduate Students United (PGSU), with the support of Divest Princeton. “When undergraduates came back to campus, there was concern, not with the fact itself that undergraduates were coming back — people understand the urgencies in that situation — but with the fact that the University didn’t do anything to offer the community the type of recourse, the type of support, the type of health protections that were being offered to the students on campus,” said Paul Eberwine, a member of PGSU. The idea for the protest arose when several organizations came together to discuss their shared concerns. “All of these groups were talking to each other and realized that if we got together to apply pressure in a unified way, students standing with workers, undocumented laborers standing with graduate workers, and everything in between, we could really make something happen,” Eberwine said. In recent weeks, leaders of several advocacy groups organized a list of six demands and presented the list during the protest. These include: that the
In Opinion
University expand free testing, contact tracing, and quarantine housing to all residents of the municipality of Princeton, and that when vaccines become available to the general public, the University distribute them to residents of the municipalities of Princeton, Plainsboro, Lawrence, West Windsor, and Montgomery. According to Hrishikesh Somayaji, a graduate student who emceed at the protest, these demands came in response to three events: the University’s announcement that it would distribute vaccinations to its affiliates but not the the general public, the establishment of the University’s “state of the art testing lab that’s offered thousands and thousands of tests,” and the decision to bring back undergraduates “without consulting with the community at all.” Deputy Vice President of Communications and University Spokesperson Ben Chang responded by explaining that Princeton University did, in fact, consult with elected officials before welcoming undergraduate students back to campus. “Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Princeton has been consulting and collaborating closely with local and state-wide public health leaders, government officials, and many others. This collaboration has been built on a foundation of open communication, information sharing, and the common understanding that the unprecedented challenges posed by this global pandemic are constantly evolving,” Chang wrote in an email to The Daily Princetonian. “When it came to decisions to resume laboratory research and limited library functions over the summer of 2020, for example, or to invite undergraduates back to campus for this spring semester, the University consulted with the elected officials that represent the communities within which we reside as well as state-wide policymakers,” Chang added. See NEWS for more
The Daily Princetonian Editorial Board argues for changes that must be made to University culture in the wake of accusations against Joshua Katz, calling for transparency and responsiveness.
COURTESY OF MATTHEW MARQUADT ’21
Across the country in 20 days: Princeton student bikes cross-country for St Jude’s By Patrycja Pajdak Staff Writer
In the last 25 miles of 141 that day, Matthew Marquardt ’21 looked up from pedaling to find himself completely alone on the open road ahead. With golden hour fast approaching, the January sun was beginning to set near Animas, New Mexico, signaling the end of his fifth biking day. Hearing only the sound of the wheels spinning below him, he admired the mountains lining each side of the open landscape, while attempting to maintain his average speed of 20.2 miles per hour. After all, thousands of miles remained if he was to meet his goal of biking across the US in 23 days. While most Princeton students spent this winter break recovering from the taxing fall semester, Marquardt planned and executed a bike ride to raise money for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. Little did he know,
In Prospect
he would exceed even his own wildest expectations, biking 2,479 miles in 20 days with only one full rest day. Despite just three weeks of preparation, he completed more mileage in less time than the 2020 Tour de France. This serene moment in Animas was among his favorite memories from the three-week excursion. “In all honesty, I wasn’t sure I would finish when I started. I wouldn’t say I trained specifically for this,” admitted Marquardt, a swimmer on the men’s varsity team. “I didn’t even plan my route more than a day in advance.” Despite the spontaneity, Marquardt finished three days ahead of schedule. Marquardt began his ride from Torrey Pines State Beach, Calif., on Dec. 30. Hugging the U.S. border, he rode to Texas and then straight across the state, followed by a ride along the coastline and through the middle of Florida’s panhandle to Jacksonville Beach.
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His ambitious idea to bike cross-country first began when the University announced that no students would be invited back to campus for the fall semester. “It became clear we would not have a swim team because a third to half of our team was taking a gap year, and you need year-round training for swimming,” he said. In November, the Ivy League announced they would not conduct intercollegiate athletics competition in winter sports during the 202021 season, formally canceling the season. For a graduating studentathlete, these announcements could have been devastating. Instead, Marquardt was inspired to take advantage of a winter break suddenly free of athletic responsibilities. “I viewed it as an opportunity to do something I’ve never done in my life,” he said. “COVID has created a new world See FEATURES for more
In Cartoon
Check out Jojo Deep’s take on Princeton’s COVID testing in “Pooled Saliva Test.”