Hawaii is shifting its COVID-19 response efforts into higher gear this week by launching a statewide surveillance testing program to identify cases of community spread of the coronavirus, the state Department of Health announced.
This additional layer of testing helps detect COVID-19 cases earlier so that appropriate steps can be taken to contain the virus, according to the DOH.
”Community spread” is defined as cases that cannot be traced back to a traveler or to those who came in contact with a person who has coronavirus.
About 200 COVID-19 tests will be conducted each week under the new program.
Samples collected for influenza testing from patients with respiratory symptoms will be randomly selected and also tested for COVID-19. These samples are collected by health care providers in doctor’s offices and other outpatient settings. The information will help responders understand the scope of such a spread when it occurs.
“This is a major new development in our state’s prevention and mitigation efforts,” said Bruce Anderson, director of health. “We’ve been asking for this capability and working with the CDC for weeks to get this program in the field. It will help us focus our prevention and response efforts so that we can keep our communities safe and informed about how the virus is affecting our state.”
The DOH is partnering with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to implement the additional testing. Hawaii is one of many jurisdictions throughout the country that is implementing the program, the DOH said.
Anderson said the tests, which will be conducted by the DOH’s State Laboratories Division in Pearl City, Oahu, will enable the state to identify and notify persons who test positive and take additional actions to try to stop the spread of the virus.
DOH will contact the provider and patient in the event of a positive result and provide further guidance.
The State Laboratories Division is expected to receive up to 400 samples per week from participating health care providers and will randomly select and test 200 of these for COVID-19 testing.
A sample involves taking swabs from the back of the nose or throat of patients with flu-like symptoms such as fever, coughing, or shortness of breath.
Anderson noted that this new surveillance testing program is being conducted in addition to ongoing testing for persons under investigation (PUI) that is already taking place throughout the state.
A PUI is a person who meets the following criteria: has fever and cough or shortness of breath, has traveled to a location that has been affected by the virus, and whose health care provider has consulted a disease investigator with the DOH’s Disease Outbreak Control Division.
Those with general questions about coronavirus can call 2-1-1 or text 877-275-6569. For the latest information on COVID-19 in Hawaii, visit hawaii.gov/covid19. For national information and resources, go to coronavirus.gov.
See Wednesday’s Tribune-Herald for more.
