Editorial: Public needs more COVID-19 quick-test options

On the heels of a week in which Hawaii ranked among states with fast-rising COVID-19 cases, Gov. David has signed off on a new order that limits indoor and outdoor social gatherings on Oahu to no more than 10 people. Also, the governor is weighing whether to delay the state’s plan, come Sept. 1, to waive the 14-day quarantine for trans-Pacific travelers who test negative for the coronavirus.

The recent surge in cases — Tuesday brought another triple-digit tally — caused necessary backpedaling to tighter restrictions, casting gloom on the immediate outlook for a full reopening of public life.

One bright spot is a saliva-test project in the works here that could serve as a triage tool — with those testing positive quarantining themselves as they await confirmatory testing. The follow-up would be through the current “gold-standard” polymerase chain reaction nose-swab test, which often involves waiting days for results.

Hawaii’s Oceanit Laboratories’ “spit in cup” test for the virus that causes COVID-19 can be self-administered, and gives results within about 10 minutes. What’s more, the proposed cost — $20 per test — is cheaper compared with $75-$170 per swab test in Hawaii, depending on testing site and insurance, according to health authorities.

If the test, Assure-19, fares well in trials, it could join the ranks of other spit tests now surfacing for sale to consumers, with federal authorization. The local project holds encouraging potential to provide an additional protective layer in the protocol taking shape for trans-Pacific travel. If it proves effective, the test should also be widely distributed for residents to use as a rapid check for infection.

In June, the Legislature appropriated $90 million to install virus-related airport infrastructure — temperature checks and thermal screening along with electronic records-keeping for health questionnaires. At that time the state announced that trans-Pacific travelers clearing the vetting, and presenting a negative swab test taken within 72 of travel, could bypass the current 14-day quarantine.

But now, with the trans-Pacific start date less than four weeks away and the pandemic still raging in large swaths of the United States and elsewhere globally, doubts remain about whether enough public health protection is in place.

People can become infected after they’re tested, of course, and can unwittingly infect other people before symptoms appear. So Patrick Sullivan, CEO of Oceanit Laboratories, rightly points out that “abundant and rapid testing,” which is not available with the swab tests, is needed.

Oceanit envisions placing Assure-19 in the state’s screening lineup as an alternative to mandatory quarantine. Arriving travelers would take a spit test at the airport. Those testing negative could purchase a five-day test kit — covering the average incubation period before symptoms appear. Test results would be communicated with a phone app.

Like the current 14-day quarantine protocol, this one, too, raises concerns about compliance with its honor-system elements and the reach of enforcement. Still, the advancing local project marks a welcome stride in the effort to safely enter the new normal, which promises to eventually include reliable treatment and a vaccine.

Researchers around the world are swiftly developing upwards of 160 vaccines, and six are in the phase preceding approval for limited use. But there’s also worry tied to rushing out a product, as a weak vaccine that prompts people to feel invulnerable could be worse than no vaccine.

For now, the undisputed best way to avoid vulnerability to COVID-19 is unshakable compliance with public health directives — from mask-wearing to physical distancing — now in place for several months. Don’t let your guard down.