COVID-19 Testing Plans for CHI Health

How doctors and researchers are preparing for a potential surge of coronavirus cases.

LEARNED DURING THEFIRST WAVE.THE HEALTH SYSTEMSAYS IT'S DONE 20-THOUSAND TESTSALREADY AND ISPLANNING ON DOUBLINGTESTING BY AUGUST...BUT WHAT ELSE AREDOCTORS ANDRESEARCHERS AT C-H-IHEALTH DOING?REPORTER PHILBERGMAN HAS MORE.WITH CORONAVIRUSCASES SURGING INPARTS OF THE U-SC-H-IHEALTH IS PREPARINGFOR THE POSSIBILITY OFINCREASED TESTING.AS A LARGE HEALTHSYSTEM WE'REPREDICTING THE NEEDTO DELIVER 10,000 TESTSA DAY.TO BE ABLE TO DELIVER10,000 TESTS A DAY WENEED TO BUILDADDITIONAL CAPACITY INEACH OF OUR REGIONALHEALTH SYSTEMS.15.08.11 SO FAR C-H-IHEALTH HASN'T HAD ABACKLOG OF TESTS BUTLEADERS SAY THEYKNOW THEIR CLINCSWANT TO TEST MOREPATIENTS.WE HAVE REQUESTSFROM PLACES LIKESCHOOLS WHO WANT TOTEST STUDENTS BEFORETHEY COME BACK ANDWE WANT TO BE ABLE TOTEST ALL OF OURPATIENTS.15.08.50 LATER THISSUMMER, C-H-I EXPECTSTO GET A NEWAUTOMATED LARGE-CAPACITY MOLECULARINSTRUMENT CAPABLEOF PERFORMING HIGH-VOLUME COVIDTESTING.

TAKENTOGETHER ALL OF THESEMEASURES, WE EXPECTTO INCREASEEFFICIENCY AND DOUBLEOUR TESTING CAPACITYGOING FORWARD.14.59.39 SEROLOGY ORANTIBODY TESTING ISALSO A WAY OF LOOKINGAT THE COVID-19INFECTION.C-H-I HEALTH SAYS ITSPLATFORM IS A WELL-ESTABLISHED ANALYZERTHAT HAS DONE THISTYPE OF TESTING FORYEARS.THIS HAS A GOOD TRACKRECORD OF PRODUCINGACCURATE TESTS.15.17.07 BUT MANYQUESTIONS STILLREMAIN ABOUT ITS ROLEIN DIAGNOSINGPATIENTS.DOCTORS SAY THEANTIBODY TESTSHOULDN'T BE USED FORDIAGNOSIS.WHEN YOU BOIL IT ALLDOWN, A POSITIVESEROLOGY PROBABLYMEANS YOU'VE BEENEXPOSED TO THE VIRUS.DOESN'T MEAN YOU HAVEACUTE INFECTION.15.18.29 IN THE MEANTIME DOCTORS SAY WENEED TO STILL TAKEPREVENTATIVEMEASURES LIKE SOCIALDISTANCING ANDWEARING MASKS.WHILE IT MAY NOT BE ASLETHAL AS WE ONCETHOUGHT, IT IS STILLTAKE TENS OFTHOUSANDS OF LIVES INTHIS COUNTRY AND ITISN'T SOMETHING THATWE SHOULD NOT TAKESERIOUSLY.15.28.18 REPORTING INOMAHA, PHIL BERGMAN, 3NEWS NOW.C-H-I HEALTH SAIDOVERALL MORTALITYRATES BASED ON MASSTESTING IS A LOT LOWERTHAN WHAT WASORIGINALLY PREDICTED.