Month: June 2020

Originally published on June 28, 2020 in https://cityofhideaway.org/docs-corner/f/covid-19-viral-testing-info

 What you need to know about COVID-19 viral testing

Texas has set up multiple COVID-19 viral testing sites across the state in an effort to reduce the spread of the virus. With new cases in Hideaway and the availability of free testing in Tyler on certain days, please make sure you arm yourself with knowledge before you get tested.

It is vital to understand that a negative test does NOT mean you can carry on as usual with people not in your household. Here’s some important info to know about testing:

• Viral tests check samples from your respiratory system, such as from the inside of your nose, to tell you if you are currently infected with the virus. 
• Some tests are run directly at the testing site and results might be available in less than an hour. Other tests need to be sent to a lab and results can take 1–2 days to return.
• If you have symptoms of COVID-19 and want to get tested, call your doctor first and stay home until you hear from them. If you have severe symptoms, go immediately to the hospital and inform your doctor’s office. Symptoms include fever, chills, cough, nasal congestion, sore throat, headache, loss of taste or smell, fatigue, shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea. 
• If you think you may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, but do not have symptoms, then you can get tested directly.
• If you were identified as a close contact of someone with confirmed COVID-19, you will be contacted by the health department for further testing instructions.
• If you test positive for COVID-19, you will be contacted by the health department and instructed to follow guidelines set by CDC.
• If you test negative for COVID-19, it could mean one of the following:
  • You did not have COVID-19 at the time of testing. 
  • You might test negative if the sample was collected early in your infection and test positive later during your illness. This means you could still spread the virus.
  • You could be exposed to COVID-19 after the test and get infected then. 
  • If you develop symptoms later, you might need another test to determine if you are infected with COVID-19.
  • If you have symptoms but your test is negative, your doctor might still diagnose you with COVID-19 based on clinical judgement and ask you to follow all guidelines for a COVID-19 positive person.
• Regardless of your test result you must continue to wash your hands, clean high-touch surfaces frequently, social distance to 6 feet with people not in your household and wear cloth face coverings when social distancing is not possible.

Ref: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/testing/diagnostic-testing.html

Sue Royappa, MD, MPH

COVID-19 in Hideaway – June 28th Update

June 28, 2020

Originally posted on https://cityofhideaway.org/docs-corner/f/covid-19-in-hideaway—june-28th-update

We have three active cases as of this morning in Hideaway. Our first case of COVID-19 in March did not create any community spread since the individual was exposed during travel and sadly died shortly after his return home. Our true community spread will happen now, as expected, while our country begins to reopen in stages to establish a new normal. 

The good news is that although the number of cases in Smith County continues to rise daily, the number of deaths has stayed the same, at a total of just four since March. Also, as the number of cases skyrockets in the nation, the total number of deaths per day continues to decrease. This is because younger people are now getting infected as they go out of their homes for work and entertainment, but are not dying in as large numbers. On average, 99% of people still recover from the virus. Even in the highest risk patients, 85% pull through, but some may have long term complications. 

The bad news, however, is that “younger” people with the virus, i.e. those younger than 50, are now being hospitalized, mostly with underlying medical conditions such as obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and kidney disease. Although most of them will survive, some with prolonged hospitalizations may have problems that persist even after they come home. So we need to not just protect our elderly, but also our “younger” patients with pre-existing medical problems.

At present, there is no shortage of hospital beds and ventilators in Smith County, but there is potential for shortages in large metro areas like Houston and DFW if current trends continue. If we do not want to run into similar problems in Smith County, we must avoid infecting large numbers of high risk people at the same time so they don’t all need simultaneous hospitalization. The best way to do this is to restrict larger gatherings, especially large indoor gatherings, because of the risk of a potential super-spreading event.

It may take several months to years to get a safe and effective vaccine to create herd immunity, but until then, all we have is social distancing, face coverings, surface cleaning and hand washing. Work on virus specific treatments and vaccines is proceeding at break-neck speed, but things are still at least months, if not years away.

If we cannot social distance, then it is essential that we wear face coverings to reduce the spread of the virus via respiratory droplets. High risk people, regardless of age, should avoid larger gatherings and stay home whenever possible.

COVID-19 paralyzed the world and changed our lives drastically within a matter of months. As our state slowly moves towards a new “normal”, each one of us has a different emotional response. Some feel like they can finally breathe and start living again, while others feel like everything is opening up too fast and are not ready for any kind of normal yet. We need to realize that both of these emotional responses are valid. Every person is unique in their ability to tolerate risk, each person is in a different place when it comes to their physical and financial health, family and community support and philosophy on how to live life. We owe it to each other to respect these differences and treat each other with kindness as we all figure out how to move forward.

As we reopen our state, we should keep in mind that our precious community is somewhat different when it comes to risk of hospitalization and death from the virus. Our median age is 65 years, almost twice that of the state, which is 34 years! So what is prudent for the rest of the state may not be so for us. Our older population with more underlying medical conditions would still have to be more cautious than the average population. Continuing to wash hands frequently is a given. Social distancing with people from other households and wearing cloth masks where social distancing is not possible are both crucial to minimize risk, especially in high risk folks.

Here are some other tips to help you reduce your risk while still enjoying your favorite activities:

Gatherings of smaller groups are always lower risk than larger groups.

Try to break up group activities into more sessions with smaller groups.

Go out to dinner or the park in smaller groups.

Meet at large restaurants where you can get larger tables for smaller groups so people can sit further apart.

Outdoors is always lower risk than indoors.

Try to move your favorite indoor group activities outdoors if at all possible. This may be difficult in the heat of the summer, but maybe it will be more feasible in the fall.

Practice social distancing even when you are outdoors by picking the largest possible space for your event.

Exercise outdoors when possible. You have to be careful in the summer heat that you don’t get dehydrated or suffer from heat exhaustion. If you can work out indoors at home in the summer, that would be perfect. But if you do have to go to the gym, try to find times when it will be least crowded.

Children are at the lowest risk of complications and death from the virus. This should be comforting to parents. But they should be aware that children can potentially transmit the virus to grandparents and other older folk who may be at a higher risk. It is challenging to teach little ones to social distance and each family will have to decide how far they’re willing to go to maintain that distance with older relatives. There is again no right or wrong answer, just a different one for each family.

Some of us may need to realize that things are not quite normal yet and maybe need to curtail some of our usual activities a bit, some of us may need a little more time to come out of our homes and some of us may not be ready to leave home at all for a long time yet because we feel we are at too high a risk due to our age or our medical problems. Let us all give each other the time and kindness to move towards our new “normal” at our own pace.