Simulation enhances Ohio State University’s COVID-19 testing system

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After the first week of testing, The Ohio State University student COVID-19 testing program planners reached out to the university's Simulation Innovation and Modeling Center (SIMCenter) to run computer simulations on the detailed process. With a need to increase testing while ensuring student safety, the plan entailed testing thousands of students every week.

The program, which consists of mandatory weekly testing of residential students at all ranks coupled with regular testing of asymptomatic undergraduate, graduate and professional students who live off-campus, is designed to test thousands of students at the Jesse Owens North facility. The plan for testing such a large number of individuals was modeled using Simulink software to create a simulation comparable to those used to model industrial assembly lines. The model could predict wait times for students and determine where potential bottlenecks would be when running at full-scale. The simulation helped the team meet their goal of testing thousands of students quickly while maintaining social distancing guidelines.

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"The team managing the test program already had a great handle on what needed to be done," SIMCenter Director, Shawn Midlam-Mohler said. "The modeling was able to provide reassurance that the plan would work as well as provide some additional ways to streamline the process."

Different activities, including Buck-ID swipes, distribution of testing kits, saliva sample collection, testing of samples, and the rate at which people could walk while standing in line were modeled to detect potential problems during actual testing, Midlam-Mohler said.

Christy Bertolo, Director of Strategic Partnerships in the Ohio State Corporate Engagement Office, said after identifying all potential bottlenecks, testing program planners made several adjustments to improve the testing process. Bertolo said planners modified the check-in and check-out processes and put a buffer plan in place for the event that a slowdown occurred.

"Because Shawn was able to show us and talk through scenarios, this allowed us to prepare our scheduling better and understand the importance of every step," Bertolo said. "We redesigned some of our original floorplans and have been able to increase our throughput due to these modifications."

The testing process is part of Ohio State's multi-pronged testing strategy based on recommendations from the Safe Campus and Scientific Advisory Subgroup and guidance from federal, state and local health authorities. Test results are available on the university’s COVID-19 dashboard, which provides a regularly updated status on COVID-19 across Ohio and within the Columbus campus community. It also includes information on the availability of quarantine and isolation space, personal protective equipment and cleaning protocols at Ohio State.

To learn more about SIMCenter's innovative research, contact us here.

Written by Sophia Palumbo, SIMCenter Communications Intern