If I've had, or been exposed to, Coronavirus / Covid-19 am I immune? If I am immune, for how long do I have immunity?
This morning I attended a webinar: Straight Talk: Health care leaders, researchers provide update on state of care amid COVID-19
Speakers were: Geoffrey Baird, MD, PhD: Pathologist and Interim Chair of Laboratory Medicine, UW Medicine; Director of the Clinical and Toxicology Chemistry Laboratory, Harborview Medical Center Nancy Davidson, MD: President & Executive Director, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance; Senior Vice President, Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center; Head, Medical Oncology, University of Washington George Haddad, MD: Co-founder, COVID Response Partners Jeff Tomlin, MD: CEO, Evergreen Health.
What I wanted to know was when antibody testing will be widely available in the Seattle area and if being exposed to, or acquiring the virus and surviving, will create immunity to future exposures.
Unfortunately, the answers were that testing is coming but supply chain issues remain a problem (not enough swabs). So it is slow. Also, we wont know about the immunity question until after testing is wide-spread.
Interesting information: One patient has been asymptomatic (no symptoms) but has now tested positive for the virus for 72 days. Those numbers are scary because this patient had no reason to know they were infected felt fine (related to those symptoms but was hospitalized on unrelated issues) they otherwise could have be walking around infecting others without knowing it. This is why masks are important even if you feel fine.
Dr. George Haddad said, testing will bring on a new level of chaos. The testing is just one step and we need to figure out the best test (no false negatives or positives). Talked about testing workers everyday. (not practical with the very uncomfortable nasal swap test.)
Are Doctors offices and hospitals extra dangerous right now? Dr. Nancy Davidson says ironically these places are safer than normal b/c of the screening in place and the heightened vigilance. Suggests getting your routine health care and go to the ER if you need emergency help. Dr. Baird says doctors and researchers know how to use PPEs and to not cross contaminate.
Should you avoid going to the hospital or Doctors office to conserve resources? There is capacity at local Washington hospitals and ER departments to take care of you. With the cancellation of elective procedures there is no overwhelm of the medical systems in Wa right now - if you need help get it.
Back to work - Best Practices - Business must act like a hospital
Psychology of the Pandemic - get over it with knowledge and education
New normal - never go to work with the sniffles.
Screening for fevers
Hand washing
Disinfecting
Not touching your face
Productivity - EEs must feel safe to go back to work
A lot of people will need or want to go back to face to face work other organizations are realizing that they can do more than they thought remotely.
Financial health of the medical system - necessarily devastated had to do it to save lives but we need to open things back up and start making up for the millions in losses. But the system needs to be overhauled so it is not so vulnerable to things like this.
Speakers were: Geoffrey Baird, MD, PhD: Pathologist and Interim Chair of Laboratory Medicine, UW Medicine; Director of the Clinical and Toxicology Chemistry Laboratory, Harborview Medical Center Nancy Davidson, MD: President & Executive Director, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance; Senior Vice President, Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center; Head, Medical Oncology, University of Washington George Haddad, MD: Co-founder, COVID Response Partners Jeff Tomlin, MD: CEO, Evergreen Health.
What I wanted to know was when antibody testing will be widely available in the Seattle area and if being exposed to, or acquiring the virus and surviving, will create immunity to future exposures.
Unfortunately, the answers were that testing is coming but supply chain issues remain a problem (not enough swabs). So it is slow. Also, we wont know about the immunity question until after testing is wide-spread.
Interesting information: One patient has been asymptomatic (no symptoms) but has now tested positive for the virus for 72 days. Those numbers are scary because this patient had no reason to know they were infected felt fine (related to those symptoms but was hospitalized on unrelated issues) they otherwise could have be walking around infecting others without knowing it. This is why masks are important even if you feel fine.
Dr. George Haddad said, testing will bring on a new level of chaos. The testing is just one step and we need to figure out the best test (no false negatives or positives). Talked about testing workers everyday. (not practical with the very uncomfortable nasal swap test.)
Are Doctors offices and hospitals extra dangerous right now? Dr. Nancy Davidson says ironically these places are safer than normal b/c of the screening in place and the heightened vigilance. Suggests getting your routine health care and go to the ER if you need emergency help. Dr. Baird says doctors and researchers know how to use PPEs and to not cross contaminate.
Should you avoid going to the hospital or Doctors office to conserve resources? There is capacity at local Washington hospitals and ER departments to take care of you. With the cancellation of elective procedures there is no overwhelm of the medical systems in Wa right now - if you need help get it.
Back to work - Best Practices - Business must act like a hospital
Psychology of the Pandemic - get over it with knowledge and education
New normal - never go to work with the sniffles.
Screening for fevers
Hand washing
Disinfecting
Not touching your face
Productivity - EEs must feel safe to go back to work
A lot of people will need or want to go back to face to face work other organizations are realizing that they can do more than they thought remotely.
Financial health of the medical system - necessarily devastated had to do it to save lives but we need to open things back up and start making up for the millions in losses. But the system needs to be overhauled so it is not so vulnerable to things like this.
Contact tracing and tracking? If you have an employee who is positive when does the State get involved to track and trace?
Geoffrey Baird - Research: Alaska Fishery business - isolated population on a boat - study showed asymptomatic carries. Also in meat packers in Eastern Washington etc. learning a lot and its pretty scary. Your risk factors are unique to your circumstances. 1990 football team Norovirus showed play by play almost contact and viral transmission.
Dr. Haddad - you have to do baseline testing to get the information we need. Look at how other countries are doing it and what is working: see South Korea and Germany Berlin research facility doing interesting things. What is happening in other countries - embrace the complexity stay curious and seek the science to solve the problems.
Will we see a spike in numbers in the fall? Will PPEs be scarce again? Cleaning supplies and masks.
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