Coronavirus in Arizona…
#coronavirusinaz
So for all my friends who live in AZ or have loved ones who do, just a little update to keep you in the loop regarding local info on the virus. I deliver and perform surgery at Shea HonorHealth so this info is directly from the HH Hospital System.
How many COVID-19 patients are currently at HonorHealth? There is only one confirmed case of COVID -19 to date at Scottsdale Osborn Medical Center. Currently 10 patients are undergoing testing at multiple facilities. All of them are deemed low risk, but have been placed in appropriate precautions while awaiting results.
What about in Arizona? Currently, the state of Arizona has 𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐞 confirmed cases. Your best source of updated case counts nationally is the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 tracker. arcgis.com
What happened with the case at Osborn? The individual was hospitalized at Osborn for unrelated reasons for two days on Feb. 28 and 29, then discharged home. Several days after discharge, HH was notified by Public Health that the patient subsequently tested positive for COVID-19. HH tracked and interviewed all staff who were in close contact, and those individuals were asked to stay home for 14 days after last contact. As of today, none of them have tested positive, and anticipate that all of them will return to work at the end of the quarantine period.
Will Honor Health provide healthcare workers with N-95 masks? The system is experiencing the same critical mask shortage as the rest of the United States because of worldwide demand. They are providing N-95 masks for aerosolizing procedures, which are the highest risk, and we are following the current recommendations from the CDC. At this time, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐃𝐂 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐂𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐃-𝟏𝟗 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐧, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐳𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬.
When will testing become more available? As of 3/11/20, HH is able to run tests independently though Quest Laboratories in California. In order to ensure timely turn around for the test results (24-48 hours) and because there is a limited supply of tests, the hospital is only testing patients or employees with symptoms, i.e., fever >100.4, cough, or shortness of breath. Those who have come in close contact with a COVID-19 patient do not need to be tested unless they develop symptoms.
Why is HonorHealth doing so much to prepare if things are really low risk? What is the rationale for quarantines, travel and meeting restrictions, or avoiding group gatherings? Is that really necessary? COVID-19 is a serious health threat, especially to our elderly population and those with other diseases such as heart disease or emphysema. While the vast majority of children and young healthy individuals experience minimal symptoms or no symptoms, those individuals can pass the disease on to others, contributing to the community burden of disease. Social distancing will delay the rate of new infections, and allow health systems more time to become fully prepared to care for higher than usual volumes of seriously ill individuals.
Hope this answers some questions for my fellow Arizonans! Stay healthy mujeres!
Dr. E 💛