{"id":321815,"date":"2020-04-28T06:02:11","date_gmt":"2020-04-27T20:02:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=321815"},"modified":"2020-04-28T06:02:11","modified_gmt":"2020-04-27T20:02:11","slug":"mass-testing-starts-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/mass-testing-starts-today\/","title":{"rendered":"Mass testing starts today"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
The Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. and Governor\u2019s COVID-19 Task Force conducted a dry run for COVID-19 testing drive-thru service at the Francisco C. Ada\/Saipan International Airport yesterday. (KRIZEL TUAZON)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mass testing for COVID-19 starts today in the CNMI via drive-thru service at the Francisco C. Ada\/Saipan International Airport. The testing is free and is open to anyone.<\/p>\n

It is also important to note that the testing is for those who wish to be tested and is not mandatory. This means testing is available for anyone who wants to be tested. A dry run was done at the airport yesterday.<\/p>\n

The first batch of people to take part in the community testing are those who have registered through the COVID-19 Task Force and the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. website.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving the ability to do the community-based testing is critical because you\u2019re looking at individuals that are asymptomatic, but not coming to the [hospital] for health care services,\u201d said CHCC chief executive officer Esther Mu\u00f1a at yesterday\u2019s dry run.<\/p>\n

Those who want to be tested have to first register online or via phone.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s open to anyone, it\u2019s free. \u2026 Register, show up, and we\u2019ll get back to you with the results,\u201d Mu\u00f1a said.<\/p>\n

Anyone who wants to be tested must have a photo ID, for CHCC to know and ensure that \u201cthis is you, and you want to be tested,\u201d Mu\u00f1a said. The ID does not have to be current, and can even be expired.<\/p>\n

According to a CHCC statement, after submitting a request for testing, a representative from the CHCC Community Testing Call-Back team will contact you to verify your information, schedule a testing appointment, and provide a test number.<\/p>\n

Testing process<\/p>\n

According to Mu\u00f1a, the drive-thru testing will be limited to up to four individuals in a car.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s limited to four in the car. And the reason for that is because we\u2019re dealing with body fluids, so we want to make sure that for those in the right, front and back, we will test them. \u2026You don\u2019t want any middle seat, again because of their body fluid.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two to four nurses will be administering the tests on both sides of the car. The test is nasal pharyngeal, meaning it is done through the nose, with the nurse obtaining a swab sample. Only one nostril is needed for the test.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cFor kids 3 years old or younger, since it\u2019s uncomfortable, it\u2019s up to the parents,\u201d said a Commonwealth Health Center staff. \u201cIf the kid is showing COVID-19 symptoms, then they should get tested.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for results, Mu\u00f1a said that its release will depend on how many specimens CHCC can get.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe\u2026way [the system is set right now] is it can do about 96 [specimens]. We do a run about four times, which results to about less than 400 a day. The viability of specimens can last a few days,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

When the community-based testing starts today, the results will be given as quickly as CHCC can, which can be in two days initially, and then be as quick as within four hours, once CHCC acquires additional support.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, we can say probably two days, tomorrow, even in four hours, because that\u2019s how long it takes for the result,\u201d Mu\u00f1a added. \u201cThe governor\u2019s task force has gotten more equipment. So it\u2019s about personnel, equipment to do the testing.\u201d The U.S. Department of Defense is also supporting CHCC by sending a medical team that will help carry out the testing.<\/p>\n

Lizzie, not her real name, thinks the idea of the drive-thru is a great idea since it seems easier and safer rather than waiting at the hospital to get tested. \u201cI honestly thought that Saipan would be behind with all the precautionary measures, but the Governor\u2019s COVID-19 Task Force and everyone included looks like they\u2019ve been doing a fantastic job.\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next?<\/p>\n

Those who will test positive will be quarantined and will undergo treatment, while those who test negative will be asked to continue following the set COVID-19 directives.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you do come back negative, we want to make sure that we stress the continuation of social distancing and practicing what you\u2019ve been doing, because it obviously was effective,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Aside from setting up the drive-thru testing, CHCC will also be going to Rota and Tinian. \u201cWe\u2019ll be setting them up so that we can make sure that they have the viral transport media. We also need to make sure that they collect the [specimen], put it at the right temperature and send it over to us so that we can do the testing,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

CHCC has tested its hospital workers and all results came back negative. In addition, the CNMI is expecting additional test kits and equipment in the next few weeks.<\/p>\n

Register to get tested at http:\/\/chcc.gov.mp\/covid19testing.php.<\/p>\n

Those who wish to get tested but have no access to the internet can call the CHCC COVID-19 Infoline at (670) 285-1352\/1542\/1672\/1854 between 7:30am and 8am. You must provide a valid phone number to schedule an appointment and to receive your test results.<\/p>\n

COVID-19 in Guam<\/p>\n

As of April 27, the U.S Naval Hospital Guam has reported an additional COVID-19 positive case. Guam now has 142 positive cases, with eight active, five deaths, and 128 recovered.<\/p>\n

Additionally, Guam\u2019s Department of Public Health and Social Services, in collaboration with the Guam\u2019s government and federal and private partners, have expanded its COVID-19 testing via drive-thru and walk-in. Their testing is also free and residents must being an official ID card.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mass testing for COVID-19 starts today in the CNMI via drive-thru service at the Francisco…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[94],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-321815","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-headlines"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/321815","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=321815"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/321815\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=321815"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=321815"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=321815"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}