Summary of COVID Testing Options

Testing options available to students, faculty and staff.

Symptomatic Testing- Students, faculty and staff who are experiencing symptoms, regardless of their vaccination status, should contact the Health and Wellness Center (HWC) at 610-758-3870 (if a student) and the university’s Employee Health Nurse Case Manager from Lehigh Valley Health Network at 610-861-8080 ext. 23504 (if a faculty or staff member) to arrange for symptomatic testing. Students need to report any positive result from an outside testing center to the HWC.

For students, in addition to the HWC, Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) offers access to their 24/7 nurse triage line (1-888-402-LVHN). Speak with a nurse to assess COVID and other symptoms, answer your questions, and discuss your testing options.

Close Contact Testing- Anyone (students, faculty and staff) who was notified or believes they are a close contact may sign up for close contact testing here, even if they are not symptomatic. You must schedule an appointment through the link.

Surveillance Testing- Surveillance testing is required weekly for unvaccinated community members who receive a medical or religious exemption from the COVID vaccination requirement. Targeted surveillance testing also may be required of those who are vaccinated, with the frequency of being determined by the prevalence of COVID cases on campus.

Additional testing options- Those with concerns about potential exposure to COVID can obtain a test through LVHN (either with symptoms or without symptoms), and testing is available at many local health centers and pharmacies as well. See the Pennsylvania Department of Health site or Lehigh’s HWC site for lists of local testing resources. Be sure to check your insurance for coverage.

LVHN offers testing at LVHN Care On Demand (2300 Highland Avenue Bethlehem, PA 18020, Open: Mon-Fri 7AM-8PM and Sat-Sun 8AM-5PM for walk-ins). No appointment is necessary. Check the LVHN website for the most current information on hours. Students can request testing only or can request to be seen by a health care provider for evaluation. Students should upload a copy of any positive test result for the HWC to process/contact trace.

For more detailed information about specific testing types, refer to our COVID-19 Testing Types page.