St. Francis doctor says more testing is critical in controlling the pandemic
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) - Coronavirus numbers are back on the rise and local health officials believe testing is a critical component in getting this pandemic under control.
Dr. Jackie Hyland, University of Kansas Health System St. Francis' Chief Medical Officer said their hospital has more testing now than they did at the start of the pandemic, but still not enough for the amount of testing they want to do.
She said to really understand where the most coronavirus numbers are in the community, she believes everyone should be tested every day.
And at St. Francis, they're using a few different methods to test people for the virus.
First is the molecular PCR test. This is done with a swab up the nose or by collecting saliva. Dr. Hyland said these are the most accurate.
Next is the antigen test, also known as a rapid test. Results can come back in under 30 minutes. This is the test they're using most frequently at St. Francis because they have the most of them.
Dr. Hyland said it's important to remember that no test will ever be 100% accurate.
"You have to take the clinical picture so talking to the patient, getting their history of exposure. Their symptoms, and then also how much the virus is present in the community will tell you really how accurate your test is," she said.
Finally, there's the antibody test which is a blood test.
Dr. Hyland said it only tells you if you previously had the virus, so it's not a good test to see if you're actively infectious.
She said the antibody test has been the most helpful when they were giving convalescent plasma to patients for treatment.
As for who they give these tests to, she said the guidelines have become a lot less restrictive since the start of the pandemic.
"If you have a fever, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, headache, the loss of taste, and smell. so if there's a high suspicion of exposure then it's pretty easy to say, yes we should test. And there's a lot of time where if the individual just wants it now, we can just test. Particularly in the outpatient arena," Dr. Hyland said.
All staff is required to do a self-screening before they go into work that includes taking their temperature and also getting tested in certain situations.
Dr. Hyland said until we have a vaccine that is effective, the community needs to continue to practice those guidelines that we've heard since the beginning of the pandemic: wash your hands, social distance and wear a mask.