IHS Covid Screening Application

Following the initial lockdowns at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, many institutions such as K-12 schools and universities were permitted to reinstate in-person attendance provided that entrants to shared-use spaces such as classrooms, lecture halls, offices, and laboratories completed screening questionnaires to determine if they (or persons with whom they have been in close contact) have exhibited any symptoms of COVID-19 infection or have been exposed to persons with such symptoms. Although this measure has been invaluable in mitigating the spread of COVID-19, the process of manually screening all entrants to a given facility on a daily basis has proven to be rather tedious both for subjects of screening and for individuals conducting screening. To overcome this, Block Society developed a web-based solution called IHS Screening to streamline this screening process by giving entrants the ability to self-report their questionnaire responses, which can be reviewed by teachers, supervisors, or safety personnel to promptly act upon any potential exposure risks.

IHS Screening was first integrated at ISNA High School in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada in November 2021. First-period classes were regularly starting behind schedule due to the time-intensive COVID-19 screening process at the beginning of each school day. With the integration of IHS Screening at ISNA High School, profiles for 168 students were created based on current enrolment records allowing these students to self-screen using a web-based user interface through which standard COVID-19 screening questionnaire responses are recorded. Teacher users can then quickly examine the roster of students to determine if they are admissible to school (denoted by a green checkmark icon), have not yet completed their daily screening (denoted by a grey “X” icon), or are potentially at-risk for carrying COVID-19 (denoted by a red “X” icon). As of December 2021, this initial integration of IHS Screening has been a success with positive feedback from students and their families, as well as faculty members of ISNA High School.

Block Society is presently considering new integration opportunities for IHS Screening beginning in Q2 2022 for institutional settings in Ontario, Canada, as well as St. James, Barbados. Please contact Block Society to inquire about integration opportunities.