Medical lab professionals essential to good testing

Increased testing and tracking of SARS-CoV-2 can help to flatten the incidence curve by determining who is or isn’t infected. Who performs these tests? The bulk of SARS-CoV-2 testing are done by medical laboratory professionals (MLP). Although MLPs do not provide direct patient care and you may never see us, we serve an essential role in health care.

MLPs process and analyze your biological samples in hematology, blood banking, chemistry, microbiology and molecular biology, among other practice areas. We provide lab test results that health care providers need to diagnose, monitor, treat and prevent disease. We are the science partners in health care.

We take patient outcomes seriously even though we may never meet. Next week, April 19-25, is National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week. Think about us and know that we do our best for you by providing accurate and timely test results.

Sheri Gon

President, American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science-Hawaii

Airlines should raise airfares to Hawaii

One of the reasons some tourists give for coming to our islands during this time of caution is because the fares are so cheap. Apparently even some homeless people have taken advantage of this opportunity.

Why are airlines doing this? Why are they dropping fares so low, enticing many to travel here? No longer are they able to say it’s to get some revenue because airline and air cargo companies will be receiving billions of dollars from the stimulus package recently passed.

They need to rethink this financial strategy so we can “flatten the curve” sooner than later. I, personally, would really like to get back to my normal, boring life before the year’s end.

Dale K. Yamauchi

Makakilo

COVID-19 antibody tests need to begin at once

Along with increased testing for those with the coronavirus, it’s important to begin antibody testing to understand how many residents have had COVID-19. Because test kits were not available anywhere until later in March, the data we have are limited.

A strong flu-like respiratory bug swept Hawaii island from mid-January to early February. Given constant travel between Hawaii, China and Japan, it would be logical for the virus to have arrived here earlier than elsewhere and that — with our outdoor lifestyle and resulting higher blood serum levels of vitamin D — it might affect Hawaii as a bad flu. Italy believes it had cases in early January also.

Because of the impact of the shutdown on Hawaii’s families, it’s crucial we gather this information. With the time sensitivity of the antibody tests available, it’s important for testing to begin as soon as possible; next week if there is any way.

Tania Howard

Kamuela, Hawaii island

What’s your plan for the economy, Gov. Ige?

Although Gov. David Ige’s restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 could have been more surgical, I’m not criticizing these decisions to date. However, I would like to know Ige’s plan to bring our economy back after the shutdown period, especially in relation to the visitor industry.

For example, what is being done to enable visitors to come to Hawaii safely without being subject to quarantine? What steps has the state taken toward implementing expedited testing on a large scale in order to screen travelers? What other actions does the state plan to take to resurrect tourism, which is essential to the health our island economy?

Having decided to shut down our economy, Ige now has the responsibility to repair the damage that this has caused while continuing to protect public health.

The livelihoods of many of our citizens depend on his getting this right.

Matt Pietsch

Kula, Hawaii island

KINDNESS GOING VIRAL

Even in these days overshadowed by the coronavirus, bright spots exist. If you see kindness or positivity going on, share it with our readers via a 150-word letter to the editor; email it to letters@staradvertiser.com. We’ll be running some of these uplifting letters occasionally to help keep spirits up, as we hunker down. We are all in this together.

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