This "Ticking time bomb" could delay your COVID test even more
Doctors will have to order twice as many tests of this fall, which could increase the shift of COVID tests.
Although there have been signs of recent improvement in the middle of thecoronavirus pandemic, with new cases and descending hospitalizations across the country, there are still major concerns about the potentialNext wave of Covid. With regard to the future of coronavirus confinement, one of the biggest issues raised by experts is theDelay in COVID tests. Unfortunately, the fall is likely to bring another virus that will further complicate the problem:The influenza season could cause an even longer time for your COVID test.
According toThe New York Times, doctors do not often do itInfluenza test during the flu season, assuming that patients with symptoms of feature flu have the virus. In 2020, however, it will change. Because the symptoms of influenza andSymptoms of coronavirus Can be so similar and because the treatment of these viruses is so different, doctors will have to test both, which potentially cause a delay in the test results.
"The flu season is a bit a ticking time bomb", "Amanda Harrington, PhD, Medical Director of Microbiology at the University of Loyola Medical Center, saidThe New York Times. "We all wait and try to prepare for the best we can."
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There are several problems that could result from doctors commissioning twice as many tests on their patients, especially given the existing.Delay in COVID tests. It could not only take longer to treat coronavirus and flu tests, but there may also be supply chain problems that result in fewer tests available overall, since similar components are needed. To create both tests.
The problem with a delay in test results is that it can make these functionally unnecessary results when it comes to contacting tracing, self-insulation and other efforts to slow the spread of the virus. AsAnthony Fauci, MD, Director of the National Institute of the Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), explained in a July appearance on CNN, "the deadline when you get a test at the time you get the back is sometimes measured in a few days. If that's the case, it's a bitCancels the purpose of contact tracing. "Meanwhile, the infected person could already have an unconsciously covidant propdability to those around them.
A delay in the results for coronavirus and influenza may be even more dangerous, especially since viruses are treated differently. AsThe New York Times Notes, "Influenza viruses and coronaviruses differ in many ways, including the way they spread, how long they are lingering in the body and the groups they affect the most severely." It is more important than ever to know if a symptomatic person has been struck with Covid-19 or the most common influenza.
And doctors do not know what the consequences are if a patient simultaneously contracted simultaneously viruses. "Nobody knowsWhat happens if you get the flu and Covid [At the same time] because it never happened before, "Pennsylvania's Secretary of HealthRachel Levine, MD, said at a recent press conference, CNN reported.
In the meantime, health experts urge the public to have an influenza vaccine. Although the vaccine does not protect people from COVID, it can at least reduce the likelihood of getting the flu during what could be a particularly dangerous influenza season - with the potential for limited and delayed tests.
"My biggest message is, get the shot of the flu. If no other year, get it this year", Commissioner in Baltimore City HealthLettia Dzirasa, MD, says theSun of Baltimore. "The two viruses together could really be a challenge for the health system and the more we can reduce a virus, in this case, the influenza-better." And for more ways to stay healthy, checkThe 10 best advice from Dr. Faisci to protect you from COVID-19.