HONOLULU: Hawaii authorities are facing pressure to increase COVID-19 testing for travelers as the islands deal with a record surge of new infections, hospitalizations and deaths. The calls come as changes to federal guidelines require negative virus tests from both vaccinated and unvaccinated people arriving in the US.
Despite evidence that more COVID-19 testing would help reduce the spread of the disease, particularly in an isolated destination such as Hawaii, state leaders have opposed the implementation of a two-testing policy for arriving passengers.
Earlier this summer, the state removed all testing requirements for vaccinated people.
And even with single pre-flight testing for unvaccinated passengers, experts say infected travelers can easily slip through the cracks.
Because of the incubation and latency period of COVID-19, using just one test to prevent spread among thousands of daily visitors is akin to using a chain link fence to keep mosquitoes out, Dr. darghi O’Carroll, an emergency and disaster physician in Honolulu.
“There are a lot of holes,” O’Carroll said. “Since probably June of 2020, science has been fairly conclusive that a single-test system was no more than 30 to 40% effective in catching a population of infected people.
New federal rules announced on Monday require all foreign travelers traveling to the US to demonstrate proof of a negative COVID-19 test, along with proof of vaccination, before boarding. Non-vaccinated US citizens will need to be tested within one day of their return to the US, as well as after they arrive home.
He said O’Carroll and several of his associates are inspiring state leaders to do the same.
“No one really seemed to listen,” he said. “No matter what we said and how decisive the science seemed.”
After months of mandatory quarantines, business closures and virtually no tourists, Hawaii had one of the lowest infection rates in the country. Then, in October 2020, the state allowed passengers to leave the quarantine with a single pre-flight test.
Infection rates increased, but they remained low compared to other states. Some of them have been attributed to the severely crippled tourism industry and lack of participation in leisure travel. And some believe that visitors facing a home-away-quarantine do not see an incentive to get tested after arrival.
But when the number of visits increased this summer, so did the infection rate.
In July, Hawaii removed its quarantine and testing requirements for vaccinated travelers. A month later, the state was in the grip of a record surge in delta-type cases that were filling hospitals and killing more people than at any time in the pandemic.
Prior to July, Hawaii had reported an average of 46 daily cases for seven days. In the first week of September, the number was up to around 900. Case rates have started to decline gradually since then, but experts say it is unclear whether this will continue.
Much of this was community spread driven by the Delta version, which was introduced through travel.
Scientists say implementing additional testing measures could help.
A study published in March in the medical journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases showed that the risk to the overall population is reduced by only 36% through a single pre-flight test. But according to the study, a two-test system, with a shorter quarantine period, catches a much higher rate at over 70% of infected travelers.
Lee Altenberg, an assistant full professor in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Hawaii, wrote that ‘Hawaii has one of the very few studies available to inform policy makers.’
But, he said, this research was misconstrued as evidence that Hawaii’s single-test system was highly effective at stopping the spread. State officials said the study proved their single-test system would catch 88% of all infected travelers.
“The public had a misconception about how much protection we were getting from the Safe Travels PreTest program, and you can’t make a good policy if you don’t have accurate information,” Altenberg said.
“We need to be absolutely serious about our travel protocols,” Altenberg said. “And if we’re operating under the misconception that (Safe Travels) is preventing 90% of infections, we won’t be serious about those protocols.”
Altenberg presented a contribution to the Lancet study last week.
The study authors said the 88% figure represents the percentage of infectious people who would be detected on the day of travel, not the overall reduction in risk to the destination population.
The distinction between “infected” and “infectious” is important, said one of the study’s co-authors.
“There are certainly people who … will develop an infection, but are not yet contagious,” said Dr. Nathan Low, a faculty fellow in infectious diseases at the University of California, San Francisco. “And those people will not necessarily be recognized.”
governor David Ige did not respond to an interview request, but the state announced Monday it was providing 1 million free rapid tests for routine testing ohu Residents.
lieutenant government Josh Green told the Associated Press that decisions about testing are ultimately up to the governor, but noted that Hawaii’s single-testing policy is higher than other US states, which helps keep the islands safe.
“If the mayor wants to do additional testing, I fully support it,” Green said. “Offering voluntary take-home antigen testing on arrival for vaccinated and unvaccinated passengers may provide additional protection given the highly infectious nature of the Delta variant.”
Green said only Alaska has implemented a similar system among US states. Alaska is also dealing with a record surge of new infections and hospitalizations.
“We’ve done more than everyone else, we’ve done a better job than everyone else,” Green said.
Doctor. Matthew KiangoAn epidemiologist and professor at Stanford University, The Lancet was the study’s lead author. He is concerned about the lack of routine travel testing as well as so-called breakthrough infections for those who are vaccinated. Experts say the shots help reduce the severity of the disease, but people who become infected can spread it to others.
“There’s a lot we’re still not sure about … in terms of success infections, especially asymptomatic spread,” Qiang said. But “we know that delta is one of many forms of anxiety and it will continue to evolve over time.”
Kiang said the additional testing “allows you to bring in more visitors and it allows you to speed up the economy.”
Despite evidence that more COVID-19 testing would help reduce the spread of the disease, particularly in an isolated destination such as Hawaii, state leaders have opposed the implementation of a two-testing policy for arriving passengers.
Earlier this summer, the state removed all testing requirements for vaccinated people.
And even with single pre-flight testing for unvaccinated passengers, experts say infected travelers can easily slip through the cracks.
Because of the incubation and latency period of COVID-19, using just one test to prevent spread among thousands of daily visitors is akin to using a chain link fence to keep mosquitoes out, Dr. darghi O’Carroll, an emergency and disaster physician in Honolulu.
“There are a lot of holes,” O’Carroll said. “Since probably June of 2020, science has been fairly conclusive that a single-test system was no more than 30 to 40% effective in catching a population of infected people.
New federal rules announced on Monday require all foreign travelers traveling to the US to demonstrate proof of a negative COVID-19 test, along with proof of vaccination, before boarding. Non-vaccinated US citizens will need to be tested within one day of their return to the US, as well as after they arrive home.
He said O’Carroll and several of his associates are inspiring state leaders to do the same.
“No one really seemed to listen,” he said. “No matter what we said and how decisive the science seemed.”
After months of mandatory quarantines, business closures and virtually no tourists, Hawaii had one of the lowest infection rates in the country. Then, in October 2020, the state allowed passengers to leave the quarantine with a single pre-flight test.
Infection rates increased, but they remained low compared to other states. Some of them have been attributed to the severely crippled tourism industry and lack of participation in leisure travel. And some believe that visitors facing a home-away-quarantine do not see an incentive to get tested after arrival.
But when the number of visits increased this summer, so did the infection rate.
In July, Hawaii removed its quarantine and testing requirements for vaccinated travelers. A month later, the state was in the grip of a record surge in delta-type cases that were filling hospitals and killing more people than at any time in the pandemic.
Prior to July, Hawaii had reported an average of 46 daily cases for seven days. In the first week of September, the number was up to around 900. Case rates have started to decline gradually since then, but experts say it is unclear whether this will continue.
Much of this was community spread driven by the Delta version, which was introduced through travel.
Scientists say implementing additional testing measures could help.
A study published in March in the medical journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases showed that the risk to the overall population is reduced by only 36% through a single pre-flight test. But according to the study, a two-test system, with a shorter quarantine period, catches a much higher rate at over 70% of infected travelers.
Lee Altenberg, an assistant full professor in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Hawaii, wrote that ‘Hawaii has one of the very few studies available to inform policy makers.’
But, he said, this research was misconstrued as evidence that Hawaii’s single-test system was highly effective at stopping the spread. State officials said the study proved their single-test system would catch 88% of all infected travelers.
“The public had a misconception about how much protection we were getting from the Safe Travels PreTest program, and you can’t make a good policy if you don’t have accurate information,” Altenberg said.
“We need to be absolutely serious about our travel protocols,” Altenberg said. “And if we’re operating under the misconception that (Safe Travels) is preventing 90% of infections, we won’t be serious about those protocols.”
Altenberg presented a contribution to the Lancet study last week.
The study authors said the 88% figure represents the percentage of infectious people who would be detected on the day of travel, not the overall reduction in risk to the destination population.
The distinction between “infected” and “infectious” is important, said one of the study’s co-authors.
“There are certainly people who … will develop an infection, but are not yet contagious,” said Dr. Nathan Low, a faculty fellow in infectious diseases at the University of California, San Francisco. “And those people will not necessarily be recognized.”
governor David Ige did not respond to an interview request, but the state announced Monday it was providing 1 million free rapid tests for routine testing ohu Residents.
lieutenant government Josh Green told the Associated Press that decisions about testing are ultimately up to the governor, but noted that Hawaii’s single-testing policy is higher than other US states, which helps keep the islands safe.
“If the mayor wants to do additional testing, I fully support it,” Green said. “Offering voluntary take-home antigen testing on arrival for vaccinated and unvaccinated passengers may provide additional protection given the highly infectious nature of the Delta variant.”
Green said only Alaska has implemented a similar system among US states. Alaska is also dealing with a record surge of new infections and hospitalizations.
“We’ve done more than everyone else, we’ve done a better job than everyone else,” Green said.
Doctor. Matthew KiangoAn epidemiologist and professor at Stanford University, The Lancet was the study’s lead author. He is concerned about the lack of routine travel testing as well as so-called breakthrough infections for those who are vaccinated. Experts say the shots help reduce the severity of the disease, but people who become infected can spread it to others.
“There’s a lot we’re still not sure about … in terms of success infections, especially asymptomatic spread,” Qiang said. But “we know that delta is one of many forms of anxiety and it will continue to evolve over time.”
Kiang said the additional testing “allows you to bring in more visitors and it allows you to speed up the economy.”
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