JIC RELEASE NO. 88 - Profiles of Earlier Confirmed Cases; COVID-19 Test Pilot Project this Saturday; Abbott ID NOW Updates - GHS OCD

Preliminary Profiles of Confirmed Cases
Profiles of COVID-19 cases include confirmed positive cases tested by the Department of Public Health and Social Services (DPHSS), probable cases of COVID-19, confirmed positive cases tested by the Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) in San Diego, U.S. Naval Hospital (USNH) Guam, Guam Memorial Hospital Authority (GMHA), and Diagnostic Laboratory Services (DLS).

One (1) additional case tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 through USNH Guam.

To date, there are 138 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 126 recoveries and 5 deaths. The Joint Information Center reports fatalities of confirmed COVID-19 cases only. As this is an evolving situation, information is subject to change with little to no notice.

For updated information on COVID-19 cases on Guam, including residential villages of confirmed cases, visit the COVID-19 Dashboard at http://dphss.guam.gov/covid-19/.

MEDICAL STATUS

GENDER

RESIDENTIAL LOCATION

TRAVEL HISTORY*

AGE GROUP

Stable: 5

Hospitalized: 02

Recovered: 126

Deaths: 05

Female: 74

Male: 64

North: 70

Central: 44

South: 22

Homeless: 02

Dubai: 02

Japan: 01

Philippines: 11

Singapore: 01

U.S.: 05

*Some cases traveled to more than one country

90+: 01

80-89: 04

70-79: 11

60-69: 35

50-59: 25

40-49: 24

30-39: 15

20-29: 14

10-19: 08

0-9: 01

COVID-19 Pilot Project Drive-Through/Walk-In Testing
DPHSS, in collaboration with the Government of Guam and federal and private partners, will launch a COVID-19 Pilot Project Drive-Through/Walk-In Testing of COVID-19 for residents who live in Sagan Linhanyan and Lower Astumbo, Dededo. The drive-through/walk-in testing will take place from 9 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 25 at the Astumbo Gym in Dededo.

Testing is limited and is free and open to residents of Sagan Linhanyan and Lower Astumbo who meet the following criteria:

Individuals with COVID-19 symptoms
Multi-generational families in a household (parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, adult children, their children) with COVID-19 symptoms

DPHSS nurses and public health officials are canvassing the areas on Thursday and Friday to pre-screen residents and issue passes. A resident who meets the criteria for the pilot test will be issued an individual pass to enter the drive-through or walk-in line on Saturday for testing. Residents who show up on Saturday and do not have a pass, but exhibit COVID-19 symptoms or who are asymptomatic, will be given an informational leaflet and have their information collected by public health nurses. They will be contacted by DPHSS at a later time. This is a pilot program, with the intent to provide the service to more people in the future.

If you are experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19, please call your health care provider. If a patient does not have a regular health care provider, they can call any of the Community Health Centers or the DPHSS Medical Triage Hotline Phone Numbers listed below to report symptoms and obtain guidance from clinicians, or call 311.

(671) 480-7859
(671) 480-6760/3
(671) 480-7883
(671) 687-6170 (ADA Dedicated Number)

Abbott ID NOW Updates
The DPHSS Guam Public Health Laboratory (GPHL) is aware of inaccuracy of false negative results from the Abbott ID NOW laboratory instrument that tests for the virus for COVID-19. GPHL has not conducted any of its specimens in the viral transport 3mL dilution that would lead to a false negative.

The GPHL was updated on April 14 by the Abbott Point-of-Contact Technical Consultant Trainer that there are some false negatives due to how the specimens may be stored through the Viral Transport (3ML) Medium (VTM) Collection System. Dilution of swabs immersed in 3mL liquid/medium may have caused false-negatives. GPHL ran its validation tests using 1mL liquid/medium. The Abbott Technical Consultant Trainer acknowledged that GPHL’s “validations went very well but that could be due in part to the fact that you’re only using 1mL of VTM for each swab (whereas many of our customers are using 3mL).”

Since April 14, the GPHL has run 51 specimens with the Abbott ID NOW, with results of 50 negatives and 1 follow-up positive.

The GPHL will continue to accept 1 mL of VTM for each swab, which will minimize false negativity of the result and will yield higher accuracy and less false negativity. Abbott ID NOW COVID-19 Fact Sheets for healthcare providers are attached to all negative results, followed by a medical disclaimer stating that there is a possibility of false negativity for which patient follow up and repeat testing are recommended.

The GPHL is a bio-safety level two laboratory and has maintained certification under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) for decades. It also holds a certificate from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) regulates all laboratory testing performed on humans in the U.S. through CLIA.

For inquiries on COVID-19, contact 311 through a local number, or call the Joint Information Center at (671) 478-0208/09/10.

X Flooding is a temporary overflowing of water onto land that is normally dry. Flooding may happen with only a few inches of water, or it may cover a house to the rooftop. There are many possible causes of floods including heavy rain, coastal storms and storm surge, waterway overflow from being blocked with debris, or overflow of levees, dams, or waste water systems. Flooding can occur slowly over many days or happen very quickly with little or no warning, called flash floods.

To learn more, visit https://www.ready.gov/floods

Wildfire

Regularly clean the roof and gutters.
Maintain an area approximately 30’ away from you home that is free of anything that will burn, such as wood piles, dried leaves, newspapers and other brush.
Connect garden hoses long enough to reach any area of the home and fill garbage cans, tubs, or other large containers with water.
Review your homeowner's insurance policy and also prepare/update a list of your home's contents.

Fire Weather

Turn on your TV/radio. You’ll get the latest weather updates and emergency instructions.
Know where to go. If you are ordered to evacuate, know the route to take and have plan of where you will go. Check-in with your friends and family.
Keep your car fueled, in good condition, and stocked with emergency supplies and a change of clothes.

Drought

Conserve water

Take shorter showers.

Turn off the water while brushing your teeth or shaving.
Run the washer less frequently and only when you have a full load.
Water your lawn less frequently and do so when the temperature is cooler in the early morning or late evening.
When you run the tap to heat or cool water, keep a pitcher to store the water and use it to water plants.
Avoid washing your car.

Practice fire prevention

Don't set off fireworks when conditions are dry.
Deposit cigarette butts in the proper receptacle to avoid starting a
Pour water over camp fires and backyard fire pits to ensure they are completely out before leaving them unattended.

Follow directions from local officials. If there are restrictions on water usage, be sure to heed them.

To learn more, visit https://www.ready.gov/wildfires and https://www.ready.gov/drought

X
Typhoons/Hurricanes are massive storm systems that form over the water and move toward land. Threats from typhoons/hurricanes include high winds, heavy rainfall, storm surge, coastal and inland flooding, and rip currents.

“Hurricanes” form in the Atlantic Northeast Pacific region and “Typhoons” form in the Northwest Pacific Region. These large storms are call cyclones in other parts of the world.

To learn more, visit https://www.ready.gov/hurricanes.

JIC RELEASE NO. 88 - Profiles of Earlier Confirmed Cases; COVID-19 Test Pilot Project this Saturday; Abbott ID NOW Updates