Premier Medical Group will provide free COVID-19 testing at three sites this week.   The County has contracted Premier to do the testing given the spike in COVID-19 cases, especially in East Hawaii.  As of Wednesday afternoon, the island had at least 217 active cases of COVID-19.

The drive-through testing schedule:

• Today, Kea‘au High School, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
• Friday, September 4, Pāhoa Regional Park, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
• Saturday, September 5, Prince Kuhio Shopping Center, Hilo, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at the Ohuohu Street parking lot (across from Macy’s Menswear Department).

No insurance is necessary to be tested, but please bring your insurance card if you have one. There is no co-pay for the individuals being tested.

Please be sure to wear a face covering at all times, and observe social distancing.

Anybody who wants to is urged to get tested.  The plea especially goes to anybody who has been at any kind of event or gathering, especially if people were not wearing masks and not apart from each other.  There have been reports of beach and park gatherings and gatherings in private homes, and several people have been exposed to the coronavirus at those events.  One of the biggest concerns is hospital capacity, if people who are more vulnerable get the virus.  The island has 11 in Hilo Medical Center right now, and 4 people from Hilo with underlying medical conditions have died from COVID-19 as they were unable to fight the virus off.  There is no known treatment, yet.

During U.S. Representative Tulsi Gabbard’s Telephone Town Hall on Wednesday, Dr. Scott Miscovich, who heads up Premier Medical Group, said the Mayor’s goal is to have testing as many days of the week as possible, in order to have people get tested, find out if they have COVID-19 –symptomatic or not–and get proper treatment and isolation from others.  Although the scheduled testing by Premier this week is in East Hawaii, Miscovich said there will be more around the island.  He said he’s added staff to accommodate the testing and that students from the University of Washington Physician Assistant Program, called MEDEX, will be assisting with the testing.

There are also other places on the island to get tested.    A few are listed on the Hawaii County Civil Defense page.