Editorial: Say Yes! to COVID test

Amid all the discouraging, confusing and sometimes maddening COVID-19 information flying about, an announcement this week was a burst of common sense and cause for optimism.

The federal government, through the state, is offering 125,000 free at-home testing kits — “Say Yes! COVID Tests.” They will be delivered to those who request them, each kit containing eight tests easily administered (you do have to stick a swab on a stick up your nose, but not very far). Results are returned in about 10 minutes.

The program is by no means a magic bullet, and certainly no replacement for vaccinations and good behavior on everyone’s part. It is one of many tools for preventing community spread, but it’s a good one, mainly because it’s voluntary and of no cost to participants.

“Say Yes!” is a pilot program meant to gauge whether widespread home testing of people who have no symptoms can root out hidden infections and reduce spread. Lessons learned could be applied in pandemics beyond this one.

Those who receive the kits are meant to test themselves twice a week for four weeks, then report the results through an online Digital Assistant. Those who test positive are instructed to contact their doctors and self-quarantine.

Participants are “strongly encouraged” — not required — to follow this protocol, according to language on the testing website. The beauty of the program is that even if some people don’t follow through correctly, there’s still value in the tests.

If participants, say, split the kit and share the eight tests, or if they save them to use after they’ve been in a risky situation, such as an airplane or a crowded room, the process is worthwhile. Test-takers get peace of mind, or they’ll be warned that they’re likely infected. The community is protected from someone who could be passing the virus around without knowing it.

“Say Yes!” is a rapid-antigen test that can correctly identify 83.5% of positive specimens and 99.2% of negative specimens. It does not satisfy workplace testing requirements, so if that’s your need you’ll have to go to an official testing site. But on the plus side, that’s 125,000 people not getting into lines at testing centers.

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The tests are available to those who live in specific ZIP codes that cover most of Oahu. For detailed information and to sign up for a kit, go to COVIDTestHonolulu.org.