Friday, March 29, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Friday, June 19, 2020
Senator Dela Cruz asks Governor to consider pooled testing for arriving travelers
By News Release @ 7:19 PM :: 2682 Views :: Tourism, COVID-19

Senator Dela Cruz asks Governor to consider pooled testing for arriving travelers

News Release from Office of Sen Dela Cruz, June 18, 2020

Hawai‘i State Senator Donovan Dela Cruz, Chair of the Ways and Means Committee and Special Committee on COVID-19, sent a letter to Governor David Ige encouraging the state to consider pooled testing of incoming travelers to Hawai‘i to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Pooled testing would allow the state to test more travelers using fewer tests, and allow for testing of presymtomatic and asymptomatic patients who do not have a fever at their time of arrival.

“I am hoping that as we keep the screening and quarantine in place, that the state would also develop alternatives to the quarantine in ensuring the health and safety of our community,” Chair Dela Cruz wrote. “Alternatives may include government authorized travel bubbles, taking tests upon arrival, and others that still need to be identified and researched. ‘Pool testing’ may be a consideration.”

Pooled testing is recommended by Dr. Darragh O’Carroll, an experienced emergency medicine physician at Kuakini Medical Center. Chair Dela Cruz included a letter from Dr. O’Carroll explaining pooled testing.

“Samples from up to thirty individuals are pooled and tested together in a single tube using sensitive molecular biological detection methods,” wrote Dr. O’Carroll. “Only if the pool result is positive do the samples need to be tested individually. When the infection rate is low and only a few people are infected, pool testing can significantly expand the testing capacity of existing laboratory infrastructure.”

“This new testing approach would further ensure that we can increase our capacity to test all travelers in a cost-effective way,” Chair Dela Cruz wrote. He recommended that the Hawai‘i Department of Health purchase an additional 3,000 to 5,000 tests to be administered daily to visitors.

Dr. Carroll explained the need to test visitors who do not have symptoms:

“New understanding from studies conducted by the CDC shows 40 percent of disease transmission occurs prior to symptom onset, in which infected individuals are unknowingly contagious prior to developing typical symptoms such as fever, sore throat, cough or pneumonia, collectively known as presymptomatic. This research also shows that the coronavirus can be spread three days prior to an individual becoming sick, with viral loads even peaking before symptoms begin. Furthermore, up to one third of individuals will never develop any symptoms, but remain contagious for some time, collectively known as asymptomatic. It is crucial that these presymptomatic and asymptomatic patients are identified, as this allows for the early prevention of infection hotspots, and will lead to isolation of infected individuals.

“An article in Scientific American also details how the pooled testing approach effectively identifies presymptomatic and asymptomatic carriers, and can accomplish it in large numbers in order to meet the high demand for screening. Sans a vaccine, the pooled testing approach ‘is trying to do more with the same number of tests.’”

ATTACHMENTS:

Letter from Chair Dela Cruz

Letter from Dr. Darrah Cormac O’Carroll MD

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

808 Silent Majority

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federalist Society

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Homeschool Association

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Smokers Alliance

Hawaii State Data Lab

Hawaii Together

HIEC.Coop

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Moms for Liberty

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

Investigative Project on Terrorism

July 4 in Hawaii

Kakaako Cares

Keep Hawaii's Heroes

Land and Power in Hawaii

Legislative Committee Analysis Tool

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

Malama Pregnancy Center of Maui

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Military Home Educators' Network Oahu

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Christian Foundation Hawaii

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

No GMO Means No Aloha

Not Dead Yet, Hawaii

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Oahu Alternative Transport

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

OurFutureHawaii.com

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

PEACE Hawaii

People vs Machine

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

P.U.E.O.

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

ReRoute the Rail

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

Robotics Organizing Committee

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Sink the Jones Act

Statehood for Guam

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

UCC Truths

US Tax Foundation Hawaii Info

VAREP Honolulu

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii

Yes2TMT