A community advocate has been asking the Bainbridge Island School District to test asyptomatics as they can be spreaders of COVID-19.

The BISD is part of a COVID testing pilot program with the Department of Health and the Gates Foundation. But it does not include testing asymptomatics.

Cynthia Bellas, a volunteer with rapidtest.org, said numerous studies show testing asymptomatics can provide a better chance of controlling outbreaks.

“Testing asymptomatics is crucial when controlling outbreaks because it is the people who don’t exhibit symptoms that are the most- effective spreaders … They are crazy infectious but they feel completely fine. Kids are particularly effective at spreading because they most often do not show symptoms.”

Bellas has even tried to get the Kitsap Public Health District onboard. She held meetings that Dr. Gib Morrow, the public health officer, and others attended about the importance of frequent rapid testing in controlling outbreaks.

“Revisiting Kitsap County’s decisions/guidelines in the face of variants or any new evidence is not a quick and easy thing,” she says in an email to the Review. “Also, unfortunately, so much of it can be political and not in the best interest of our population.”

The resistance to testing asymptomatics might hinge on cost, supplies etc. But she said the Abbott BiNaxnow rapid test is an example of a product that is less costly than PCR tests, gives quick results and can be used at home.

She said the district won’t test asymptomatics because it may go against their pilot project and any testing outside the plan could corrupt the data they are collecting.

Bellas served on the Governor’s WA State Staying Open Staying Safe Pandemic Response Team as lead for the Testing Indicator and Surveillance Group.

At last week’s school board meeting, when in-person learning was approved, board member Christina Hulet said, “I think we need to push to get asymptomatic testing.” She said she didn’t know if that would be feasible given the model of the Gates pilot program. But she said she’s been reading and hearing about studies stressing the importance of testing asymptomatic students, considering transmission data.

“I think we are very lucky to have our currrent testing program, but if it was expanded to asymptomatic testing for kids I think that would be another layer of protection for us to investigate.”

BISD is one of a handful of school districts in Washington to be selected for the COVID-19 testing program. It is a state-funded pilot for voluntary COVID screening and testing that will help contain the virus, protect communities, open up opportunities for in-person learning, and keep students and teachers healthy and safe, a district news release says.

As part of that study, the district didn’t have any say in testing protocols, a district spokesperson said. Asymptomatic testing is available for teachers, she added.

Testing takes place during school days at the District Office, 8489 Madison Ave. N. It is available for any student exhibiting symptoms of COVID. The test is a self-administered cheek-swab test that is similar to brushing your teeth. Results are available 36-48 hours after the test.

The DOH does recommend testing asymptomatics under these conditions:

• Close contacts of a case

• Individuals exposed to COVID during an outbreak in a congregate setting (long-term care facility etc.)

• People from minority groups disproportionately affected by adverse COVID outcomes

• Women who are pregnant and present in labor

• All newborns born to parents who are suspected of having or who have tested positive for COVID

• People undergoing procedures that increase the risk of aerosolized particle spread

• People undergoing invasive surgical procedures