The number of COVID-19 tests being conducted by Big Island health care facilities is on the decline.
Hilo Medical Center’s drive-through testing site tested 162 individuals during its first week, March 17-20, 133 the week of March 23-27 and 89 the week of March 30-April 3. An additional 20 tests were completed Monday and 19 on Tuesday.
The drive-through testing center is open 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday through Friday but requires a physician referral.
Hilo Medical Center spokeswoman Elena Cabatu said as of Tuesday, there were no plans to reduce testing at the site.
She said the decline in the number of people being tested for the virus could be attributed to a number of reasons: the initial onslaught of people wanting to get screened is waning, the stay-at-home order and travel restrictions have contributed to people sheltering in place and limiting exposure, and many individuals are now wearing masks.
Additionally, “people are hopefully doing a lot of self-care and making sure they are taking precautions to reduce (the chance of) even them catching a cold or spreading the flu,” Cabatu said.
Testing also will continue at Puna Community Medical Center, although only 25 tests have been done at the site since March 23. At the Puna site, individuals can be screened by providers to determine whether they meet the criteria for COVID-19 testing.
Twenty people were tested March 23-27, and just five were tested March 30-April 3 at the Pahoa facility — part of a network of clinics in the East Hawaii Region of the Hawaii Health Systems Corp., which also includes Hilo Medical Center, Ka‘u Hospital and Hale Ho‘ola Hamakua.
Cabatu said an advanced practice registered nurse and a certified clinical medical assistant who were brought in to do COVID-19 screenings and tests at the clinic have returned to the Hilo clinic where they normally work.
Screening and testing will now be done by the Pahoa clinic’s staff, she said.
“… We wanted to offer it because we knew the population and the community down there had limited access to primary care on a regular basis, so we just thought it would be smart of us to offer screening and testing closer to their homes,” Cabatu said.
Meanwhile, waning demand prompted Queens North Hawaii Community Hospital in Waimea to reduce its drive-up COVID-19 screening and testing availability from six days a week to three.
“Our numbers are going down also, and that’s why we dropped down to just three days a week,” said hospital spokeswoman Lynn Scully.
Physicians orders are not required, but individuals must have symptoms and complete a screening.
According to Scully, the hospital was screening, but not necessarily testing, 60-80 people a day during its first week of operation. That dropped to about 40 per day the second week.
“Now we’re (testing) between 10-20 a day when we’re open,” she said.
Scully said a higher percentage of those being screened are being tested now because of education about the process, but she’s not surprised about the declining numbers since more people know about the virus.
People are more informed, and less uncertain and less panicked, she said.
Email Stephanie Salmons at ssalmons@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
