Help control the spread of COVID-19 by rapidly identifying cases | Help control the spread of COVID-19 by rapidly identifying cases

With COVID-19 numbers increasing significantly throughout the world, several areas going back into “lockdown,” and a vaccine for the general population still many months away, what can we do to slow the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in our communities? Two key strategies have been shown to significantly interrupt the spread of SARS-CoV-2: hygiene measures and aggressive testing with contact tracing. The basic infection control principles of hand and respiratory hygiene, which include mask wearing and physical distancing, have clearly been shown to reduce virus transmission. The extremely stringent lockdown measures implemented by many countries at the beginning of the pandemic did disrupt the spread of the virus but also caused extraordinary social and economic repercussions.

As COVID-19 spread across the majority of states this summer, a strategy of testing all people who needed to be tested as well as contract tracing helped control cases throughout New York. However, in the last few months with more activities moving indoors, we have seen COVID-19 spreading again in New York and Connecticut. Rapid response from state and local health departments with aggressive testing protocols and contact tracing have worked to contain viral spread. Over the coming months it will be critical to continue to rapidly identify and isolate cases of COVID-19 and track their contacts to continue to contain the spread of the virus.  

The variety of symptoms associated with COVID-19 makes it extremely challenging to differentiate it from other respiratory pathogens. For those who manifest mild symptoms, it is nearly impossible to distinguish SARS-CoV-2 infection from an infection with other respiratory pathogens, especially in children who generally have mild symptoms. As we work to keep our children in school and some semblance of “normality” in our communities, we must be able to test and rapidly identify cases.  Reliable point-of-care testing that identifies people with transmissible virus will likely be the best chance to avoid a surge in cases and the stringent restrictions we faced at the onset of the pandemic. For this winter, when caring for our patients, the statement “it is just a virus” or “it is just a cold” is not reassuring and requires testing to confirm that a patient does not have COVID-19.  

Point-of-care testing, as opposed to conventional PCR testing, which can take several days for results, allows for immediate quarantine of infected people and rapid initiation of contact tracing. Contact tracing is most effective when a person is identified at the earliest point in their infection, before there has been a significant chance for spread, especially since asymptomatic carriers have also been shown to play a role in the spread of the pandemic. Testing contacts of known cases four to seven days after exposure can identify asymptomatic people and is an additional way to control the spread of SARS-CoV-2.

Until we have better treatment and prevention alternatives, we must rely on proven infection control measures (hand and respiratory hygiene, mask-wearing, physical distancing, and staying home when sick) in conjunction with rapid testing and contact tracing to control this pandemic. Although COVID-19 will continue to disrupt our lives for many months, following these principles should prevent surging cases and the need to reinstitute harsh restrictions. 

Learn more about Boston Children’s Health Physicians’ response to COVID-19.

New Multispecialty Office!

BCHP is excited to announce the opening of our new multispecialty office on the campus of Mid-Hudson Regional Hospital (MHR), located at 1 Webster Avenue, Suite 300 in Poughkeepsie, NY.

At this location our pediatric services include nephrology, hematology/oncology, pulmonology, allergy, cardiology, rheumatology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, and our neonatal follow-up program.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call your child’s specialty division directly or contact our concierge at 844-4-MD-BCHP.