Task Force talks availability of COVID-19 testing
The Pine Island COVID-19 Task Force last week continued its discussion regarding creating and distributing flyers for local businesses to display, asking customers to adhere to mask wearing, as well as how best to encourage vaccinated islanders to get a booster shot to ward off COVID-19.
Task Force member Martha Huard said it’s especially important for people who have a suppressed immune system to return for their third round of vaccine.
“If you’re on immune suppression or have received chemo, your response to the original immunization wouldn’t have been as robust,” said Huard. “You would be more likely to need a booster.”
As the numbers of people who are COVID-19 positive are on the rise once again, the Task Force discussed misuse of local hospital emergency rooms and the new difficulty of getting tested.
“It’s especially hard if you want to get a PCR rather than an antigen test,” said Huard. “The big concern is collateral damage. If you’re having a heart attack or a stroke and need one-hour care, the ERs are so clogged up that that hour goes by pretty quick. Last time around they were reminding people not to go to the ER. They have people showing up there because it’s so hard to get testing that they’re having families of five show up for testing.”
Task Force member Dr. Daniel Hanley said he isn’t certain why people are saying they can’t get testing when they offer it at his clinic. He said it has to be a messaging issue and asked the Task Force how best to get the word out that testing is still very much available, although he cannot guarantee next-day results.
“We have the PCR slab, which is one of the gold standard tests,” said Hanley. “That’s the slab that gets picked up by Quest, which is a lab. Usually people need it if they are traveling, or they need results in a time sensitive manner. They need it within three days. We can say that most likely we’ll be able to get it within a couple of days. But if they want guaranteed results within three days, what I would do is make an order, send it to Quest, then they should go to the Quest location and get tested. That way everything’s already right there at the lab — they can process it as soon as they get it.”
Hanley said it’s easiest to have his patients make their own appointments, because when the appointment is made for the patient, they invariably cancel at the last minute, often due to scheduling issues.
“We try to encourage patients to make their own appointments at their own time and what I would do is grease the wheels — meaning I’m sending the order to Quest, so from a medical order standpoint that’s not going to be the issue,” he said. “And then patients can just schedule their own appointment whenever they’re available.”
According to Hanley, his Ancuram Clinic will likely start giving the COVID-19 booster shot around the same time they begin administering flu shots, which he estimates will be late September or early October. He said he highly recommends the booster for increased protection.
“I would say 6 months after getting the second shot from either Pfizer or Moderna, you would want to consider the booster shot,” said Hanley. The reason for this is that over time, immunization wanes, he said. “I think by now we are all used to the reality. I feel confident in projecting the next couple of months because everything has been playing out consistently like we thought it would, except for the fact that the immunizations are less than longer than we thought. Ultimately we just need to continue to protect ourselves, be careful, try to stay home if we’re sick.
“I feel like it’s basic common sense. Unless you’re having a heart attack, don’t go to the emergency department, even if you have COVID.”
To reach PAULETTE LeBLANC, please email pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com