A recent report described a program where travelers arriving at airports in Alaska were tested for the COVID-19 virus. The report did not say how many travelers were tested or provide any results about how many people tested positive. It simply noted that testing was happening.
Because this is just a report about a testing program and not a completed study, we don't know what the testing found. There is no information on whether the testing helped identify cases or slow the spread of the virus. The report also did not mention any problems or safety concerns with the testing process.
The main reason to be careful is that this report gives us no answers. It tells us testing occurred, but not what was learned from it. Readers should understand that this is an early administrative note, not research with conclusions. We will need to wait for a full study with results to know if airport testing is a helpful strategy.