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At least 30 tests for the novel coronavirus have been performed on Maui this week.
Since Thursday, Maui Medical Group has swabbed around 30 patients for COVID-19 and has sent their samples to Clinical Labs of Hawaii, which will send the specimens to a private lab in Texas, said Dr. William Mitchell, president and chief executive officer of Maui Medical Group, on Friday.
He hopes results will be in early next week.
The opportunity to begin testing at Maui Medical's Wailuku facility came Thursday after the facility received its swabs and other items.
By Monday afternoon, Mitchell said, Maui Medical expects to set up a triage site for its patients on the first floor of the Wailuku clinic that would separate test patients from others.
Cliff Alakai, Maui Medical Group administrator, noted that the clinic has less stringent criteria than the state for testing. This explains why 30 tests were performed this week when the state has only performed 45 tests in a couple of weeks.
If people were feeling ill and had symptoms but tested negative for the flu, the COVID-19 test was administered to them at Maui Medical Group, Alakai said.
Maui Memorial Medical Center, the county's main hospital, is working with Maui County and the state Department of Health to develop off-site screening, said hospital spokeswoman Lisa Paulson on Friday.
She said that Maui Health System CEO Michael Rembis said the site is "extremely high priority." The screening will not be done at the hospital but somewhere nearby, with more information to come next week, Paulson said.
The hospital already has a triage setup outside its emergency room to screen patients.
At a news conference Friday afternoon on Oahu, Hilton Raethel, president and CEO of the Health Care Association of Hawaii, said that at the larger sites, such as Maui Memorial's, testing will be for those who have doctor referrals and meet testing requirements. It will not be for people who just show up and want to get tested.
The sites will collect specimens, which will be sent to Hawaii private labs. They will then send samples to the Mainland for testing in a process similar to Maui Medical Group's. Turnaround times vary, with some running three to four days for results, Raethel said.
Private labs in Hawaii and Kaiser Permanente are working to have testing done on island with quicker turnaround, he added. Currently, the only facilities that can run the tests in the state are the Health Department lab in Pearl City and Tripler Army Medical Center, both on Oahu.
Kaiser hopes to have a lab for COVID-19 testing up and running on Oahu in about a week or so, Kaiser said. Until then, Kaiser is following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for testing, with samples sent to the Health Department lab.
Maui Memorial is working on automated testing at the hospital, but it could take up to six weeks to get the system up and running, hospital officials said this week.
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, testing in Hawaii has been reserved for those who are severely ill or at the highest risk, said Bruce Anderson, director of the state Department of Health.
Turnaround times at the Health Department lab can be a "few hours," he said.
The DOH said 45 tests have been done, with still only two confirmed cases in Hawaii, both on Oahu and travel-related.
On Friday, there were seven people under observation for COVID-19, DOH said. There were 27 individuals self-monitoring with public health supervision; 24 on Oahu and three on Maui.
The state also began its community surveillance testing this week, which included taking samples from Molokai and Lanai residents, to get a range of results statewide, Anderson said.
Late Friday afternoon, the Health Department said that 31 random tests conducted were negative.
"This is good news for Hawaii, as positive results would have indicated community spread of the disease. While we cannot rule out community spread, the negative results are an encouraging benchmark," DOH said.
Community spread is defined as cases that cannot be traced to a traveler or those who came in contact with someone who has been affected by the coronavirus.
The goal of the surveillance program is to detect new cases quickly and prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the United States.
The samples came from patients with respiratory symptoms that were collected by doctors' offices and outpatient settings statewide.
With spring break beginning Monday for public schools, Anderson asked parents and children to take precautions and avoid nonessential travel and large crowds. He also asked that large, crowded gatherings or public events that include 100 people or more be postponed or canceled.
He expects coronavirus cases will pop up in Hawaii, with people without any travel history testing positive for the virus.
"Everyone should be very vigilant to protect themselves and their family, not to expose themselves unnecessarily," Anderson said at the news conference Friday.
The state Health Department director said that the department currently is not advising that schools be closed, as they have in other states. "We are, however, recommending events be postponed or canceled at the schools."
Hale Makua, which has two residential nursing facilities on Maui, will close its doors Monday to nonessential visitors, including family members.
Its facilities in Kahului and Wailuku, which primarily house frail and elderly patients, said that in response to the federal government's guidance they are increasing their precautionary measures.
Visitation will be open for those in end-of-life situations or where a visitation will help with the emotional well-being of the resident, said Teana Kahoohanohano, administrator of Hale Makua Kahului, on Friday.
All families were contacted and will be sent a letter about the blocking of visits. The facility will be purchasing computer tablets so patients can use them to FaceTime or Skype with family members.
"Hopefully, modern technology helps a little bit," Kahoohanohano said.
Those who enter the facility, from staff to visitors, continue to be screened for any symptoms of illness.
"It makes my heart sad," she said of the cancellation of visits.
On Friday, Maui residents continued to stock up on supplies in fear of the virus and possible quarantine. There was a busier-than-usual shopping scene at Target before 8 a.m., with people carting off paper goods and cleaning supplies. A shelf that held antibacterial wipes and cleaners was bare Friday morning.
Lines of cars and shoppers snaked outside Costco on Friday morning.
At a news conference on Oahu on Friday, Department of Transportation spokesman Tim Sakahara assured the public that "all the commercial harbors in the state are open." Shipping and cargo are coming into the state normally.
Sakahara made the statements after rumors circulated about shipper Matson suspending operations.
Matson said Friday it "intends to maintain all service schedules as normal with three arrivals a week to Honolulu and twice a week calls to each Neighbor Island port."
"Matson is committed to taking all appropriate steps to ensure the continuation of services, including the deployment of reserve vessels if necessary to continue meeting the needs of our customers," the shipper said.
The company said it is monitoring developments closely and ensuring compliance with all Coast Guard and local, federal and international government reporting and prevention directives for maritime operations.
* Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com.
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COVID-19 AT A GLANCE
Tips for families and students on spring break from the state
Department of Health:
• Consider avoiding crowded or congested areas; large public gatherings, such as concerts, sporting events, religious gatherings. Large gatherings are defined as 100 people or more. It advises social distancing 6 feet apart.
• Avoid nonessential travel to COVID-19 high-risk destinations.
• If family members are sick, remain home except to receive medical help.
• Avoid those who are sick and have flu-like symptoms such as coughing, fever and shortness of breath.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends for travel:
• Avoiding all nonessential travel to China and Iran. Entry of foreign nationals from these destinations have been suspended.
• Avoiding all nonessential travel to South Korea and Europe; the U.S. suspended travel from 26 European countries in the "Schengen Area" for 30 days starting midnight Friday; U.K. not included.
• Practicing enhanced precautions during any travel worldwide.
• Older adults and people of any age with serious chronic medical conditions should consider postponing nonessential travel.
Prevention includes:
• Getting a flu shot.
• Washing hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating and after nose-blowing, coughing or sneezing.
• If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol.
• Avoiding touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid contact with people who are sick; stay home if sick.
For more information:
• Call 211 or text (877) 275-6569 for general questions about coronavirus; hours have been extended to 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day
• Hawaii Health Department. Health.hawaii.gov/covid19.
• CDC. Coronavirus.gov.