COVID-19 Testing

 

UMass students, faculty and staff and their spouses, domestic partners and dependents with symptoms(s) of COVID-19, or who are direct contacts of someone with COVID-19, can get tested at University Health Services (UHS).

You are considered a direct contact if you were within 6 feet of an infected person for a total of 15 minutes or more.

UMass Students: If you have a new symptom of COVID-19, or if you are a direct contact of someone with COVID-19, login to the UMass Patient Portal. Click the "Appts" tab, and follow instructions to schedule your testing appointment at UHS Respiratory Clinic, 150 Infirmary Way. To speak with a nurse about COVID-19 symptoms or other medical concerns, submit the Minute Nurse Triage Form on the Patient Portal, or call 413-577-5128.

UMass Staff: If you have a new symptom of COVID-19, stay home, call your supervisor, and call or email the COVID-19 HR Response Team at 413-687-2283 or COVID19HR@umass.edu. 

Public Community: Learn about free COVID-19 testing for MA residents

UMass Students and Staff: No symptoms or exposure? Visit the Campus Health Hub and schedule your test at the Mullins Center. For answers to non-medical COVID-19 questions, contact the UMass COVID-19 Call Center: 413-577-2999 or covidinfo@umass.edu.

 

  1. Getting Your Test Results: UMass Students, Faculty & Staff
  2. Getting Your Test Results: Public Community
  3. UMass Students: More Information on Symptomatic Testing
  4. UMass Employees: More Information on Symptomatic Testing
  5. Helpful Links

 

1. Getting Your Test Results: UMass Students, Faculty & Staff

(Updated 2/16/2021) Most patients who test positive for COVID-19 will be notified of their test result via phone call from a Public Health representative. Patients whose test results are negative or invalid will receive a notification via email. Please open and read all test results received via email.

  • If you receive a positive test result notification via email, please isolate yourself immediately in your present housing and avoid further contacts. You will be contacted by a Public Health representative who will instruct you further on isolation, precautions, and support for you.
  • Have your phone charged and nearby, and answer your calls promptly.

If your test is negative or invalid and you were tested at...

 

2. Getting Your Test Results: Public Community Testing for MA Residents

After you are tested through the free community COVID-19 testing program, all results are delivered immediately on approval from umalab@umass.edu and are available to view at the UMass Lab Services Portal. Participants who test Positive may be contacted by a member of the UMass Public Health Team to discuss their result.

 

3. UMass Students: How to Get Tested for Symptomatic COVID-19 at UHS

If you have a new symptom of COVID-19, or if you have been exposed to COVID-19: Login to the UMass Patient Portal. Click the "Appts" tab, and follow instructions to schedule your testing appointment at UHS, 150 Infirmary Way. When it's time for your appointment, please do not use the UHS main entrance; follow signs along Thatcher Road to the Respiratory Clinic in the rear of the building.

If you have trouble accessing the Patient Portal, please read our Portal FAQs carefully.

Questions? Submit the Minute Nurse Triage Form on the Patient Portal, or call our COVID-19 Hotline: 413-577-5128. Leave a message, and a nurse will return your call.

Symptoms of COVID-19 can include:

  • Fever or chills
  • Cough
  • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
  • Fatigue
  • Muscle or body aches
  • Headache
  • New loss of taste or smell
  • Sore throat
  • Congestion or runny nose
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Diarrhea

Learn more about symptoms from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

What to Expect

When you arrive for your appointment, please do not use the UHS main entrance. The Respiratory Clinic entrance is located in the rear of the building relative to the main entrance. Follow signs for the Respiratory Clinic along Thatcher Road. When you arrive for your appointment, ring the doorbell. A member of our staff in full personal protective equipment will perform a molecular PCR test, which will involve taking a swab of the inner front portion of your nose.

Your test results will be available within 24-72 hours.

Wait for test results in your room, unless instructed otherwise. Please note that the UHS lab cannot give you your test results.

  • If your test is negative, you will receive your results in the UMass Patient Portal
  • If your test is positive, you will be contacted by phone by a member of the UMass Public Health Team.

Insurance Coverage

If you have questions about whether your test will be covered by insurance, contact your insurer.

 

4. UMass Employees: Symptomatic Testing

Employees will continue to use the My UMass App Daily Checklist or printed daily checklist, and if they have any of the symptoms should follow these steps:

  • Step 1: Stay home, and call your supervisor
  • Step 2: Call or email the COVID-19 HR Response Team at 413-687-2283 or COVID19HR@umass.edu.

Information about the daily screening will remain private. The data is not stored on the app.

Please Note: You are considered a direct contact if you were within 6 feet of an infected person for a total of 15 minutes or more.

 

5. Helpful Links