Conference Adopts Return to Play Plan; Includes Weekly PCR Testing for COVID-19
CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) announced the adoption of a comprehensive
Return to Play Plan for intercollegiate athletics.
The Return to Play Plan approved by the conference Presidents includes strict daily wellness screening, weekly PCR testing and stringent procedures for mitigating against the introduction and spread of COVID-19. PCR testing is required for the sports of basketball, wrestling, football, soccer and volleyball.
“Prioritizing the health of our student athletes and their school communities guided our development of a safe return to play plan,” said commissioner Robert Cashell, “ We have worked over the past several months carefully combining NAIA, state and local public health guidelines, in addition to our own mandatory testing protocols to develop what we believe is a very sound and robust plan for all of our offered sports
The conference has found a very unique option for testing establishing a partnership with Sarah Comstock, Ph.D. of Corban University and Santiam Hospital in Stayton, Oregon. The arrangement provides the CCC with saliva testing for COVID-19. Comstock will be using the
SalivaDirect method developed by the Yale School of Medicine which has been granted an emergency use authorization (EUA) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
All testing will be performed in a CLIA-certified lab at Santiam Hospital, which is required for all COVID tests that have received EUA by the FDA. Since this is not a "kit-based" test, it preserves typical supply chains which is a concern for other proprietary and point of care tests
“It’s our understanding that we are the only conference in the NAIA, with this level of required testing,” said Cashell. “Many individual schools are testing but as a league we set a standard threshold for safety that all of our members must take part if they wish to participate during the COVID-19 pandemic.” The NAIA is the CCC’s national organization.
The SalivaDirect test method has been showing a false-negative rate of as low as 7.3% as compared to up to 30% false-negative of a point of care (POC) antigen test. POC antigen testing often requires a follow-up molecular based test to confirm results. The SalivaDirect is a PCR test which is considered the gold standard for testing.
“Having the ability to provide weekly highly accurate PCR tests, not impacting the cache of tests, reagents and other supplies needed for our most vulnerable populations in our States, as well as, working with one of our own conference school faculty members, presents what we view as a very responsible way for us to move forward,” added Cashell.
The conference basketball teams conducted a trial of the testing procedures to verify the process meets expectations. Each school went through the steps of sample collection, packaging and shipping under the guidance of Certified Athletic Trainers. Test results were completed within 24-30 hours of receipt at the lab.
In July, with the health and welfare of student-athletes at the forefront, the CCC announced the movement of fall sports to winter/spring with the NAIA making the same decision shortly thereafter moving fall National Championships.
Basketball is tentatively scheduled to begin league play Dec 4, volleyball on January 28 and men’s and women’s soccer February 12 pending work with state public health authorities. Wrestling championships are in mid-February, cross-country championships are scheduled for March 26 and men’s and women’s golf will compete in all four CCC tournaments between March and April. Spring sport schedules remained as originally scheduled.
As with all things COVID-19 related, the Return to Play Plan may be updated based on emerging guidance, as well as, any state/local health authority mandates.
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