In a March 25, 2020 hearing before the State Senate Special Committee on COVID-19, State Epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Park explained to State Senators some of the factors around doing additional tests for COVID-19.   One of the State Senators viewing remotely asked Dr. Park why the State is not doing more testing for COVID-19.

Dr. Park said if the state expands testing beyond those with specific COVID-19 symptoms, the State Department of Health would be required to outfit all the labs in the state with higher throughput machines, provide them with staff, and provide more people and resources for the state.   She said there would have to be some kind of enforcement to keep those who test positive in self-isolation and quarantine.

Park said it would be up to the state to provide “wrap around” services for those who test positive, including food, laundry service, and more.   She also said that in other places that have tested more, such as South Korea, they did a lot of public cleaning.  Park said the efforts would have to go on for months.  She emphasized that the State would have to be prepared to spend far more money than is being spent now.

Park also said because our state has relatively few cases,  the testing will show many false positives.  She also said there is “unscrupulous” testing, but did not define what that meant.  She was at the hearing table with Dr. Edward Desmond, who is Director of the State Department of Health Lab.

Testing as of now, 3 weeks after this hearing, has ramped up quite a bit.  There is testing on the island at North Hawaii Community Hospital, Ali’i Health at Keauhou Shopping Center, Hilo Medical Center, Puna Community Medical Center, at Hilo Civic on Sundays, and through several private providers.

Since this hearing on March 25, Dr. Bruce Anderson of the State Health Department has said that close contacts of those who test positive might now be tested even if without symptoms.

The relevant content starts around 39:50 and lasts for about 10 minutes.