Genomic sequencing confirms presence of BA.2 variant on island

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The Hawaii state lab has their own criteria and not all specimens from COVID-19 positive cases from American Samoa are sent there for genomic sequencing to identify the Omicron variant, says Health Department clinical service acting director Dr. Elizabeth Lauvao.

Since the COVID-19 community spread, recorded on Feb. 21, some in the community have queried whether or not DoH has sent samples of positive COVID-19 tests to the Hawaii lab to test for the variant and if so what are the results. Those who queried Samoa News were interested in the type of variant in the community spread.

During Monday’s COVID-19 Task Force virtual news conference, this public query was asked and Dr. Lauvao responded that some of the specimens of the positive cases of the community spread earlier this year were sent to the Hawaii state lab for testing and came back with the Omicron BA.1 variant.

“The Hawaii state lab has their own criteria on the numbers and the type of specimens for sequencing. Not all positive cases are sent off island for sequencing, only a certain number and type of specimen,” Dr. Lauvao explained.

During a task force briefing late last week, the DoH presentation noted that 15 specimens from travelers on the Hawaiian Airlines flight from Honolulu on Mar. 31 that tested COVID positive were sent to the Hawaii State Lab for genomic sequencing.

And DoH received the results on the evening of Apr. 26 showing that six specimens were the new BA.2 variant; eight confirmed for the BA.1 variant; and one was pending a result from Honolulu.

At Monday’s news conference, Dr. Lauvao shared similar data and explained that the one result that was pending from Honolulu had since been returned and it’s the BA.2 variant.

“Omicron-BA.2 reminds us that the virus is still out there, and cases can go up the moment we let our guard down,” said DoH in a health advisory over the weekend.

According to the governor’s current COVID-19 Emergency Declaration, the Health director has confirmed community spread of COVID-19 omicron variants of BA.1 and BA.2 in American Samoa.

With the BA.2 confirmed in American Samoa, health officials as well as the federal officials continue to urge local residents to get fully vaccinated, get the first booster shot and then the second booster shot — when your are eligible for it.

With the confirmed community spread, the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has labeled American Samoa at “high” risk for community spread. (See www.cdc.gov for latest updates on all COVID-19 issues and explanations including the BA.2 variant.)

FEDERAL TEAM

And during Monday’s virtual news conference, Allison Pfaendler, who is the lead of the U.S Federal Emergency Management Agency Incident Management Assistance Team (IMAT), announced that 31 federal team members were due to return home on yesterday’s Hawaiian Airlines after supporting the American Samoa Government for 30 to 60 days.

“The team has felt welcomed and immediately integrated [into the local community], so we appreciated that support,” she said, noting that the incoming flight yesterday from Honolulu brought additional federal team members with 19 medical officials and that includes nurses, LPNs, paramedics and pharmacy technicians.

She said these are “FEMA contractors” on island to support the 3 vaccination sites and test-to-treat sites — replacing the federal Public Health officers who returned home.