DPH to stop reporting COVID-19 antibody tests
♦ The number of cases in Floyd County went up by five on Wednesday.
The number of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 in Floyd County stepped up by five cases Wednesday.
The number of cases increased from 134 on Tuesday to 139 as of Wednesday night, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health website.
With such a large scope of reporting — at this point the state is at 25,634 cases and 1,095 deaths — it’s often difficult to tell when the numbers have been adjusted or corrected — something that happens on a semi-regular basis.
An issue with the disease has always been working toward getting accurate and timely results, but because so many cases are asymptomatic or mild, people may not realize they’ve been infected.
On top of that, the DPH recently changed its website and, to a degree, how they report COVID-19 cases in the state.
Many of the items which were available on the website — such as the age and county of residence of deceased individuals — are no longer on the site. Previously, it also noted if that specific individual had preexisting medical conditions. As of Wednesday at 6:35 p.m., 11 Floyd County residents had died as the result of a COVID-19 infection.
Some tests unreliable
A letter from Dr. Gary Voccio, health director for the Georgia DPH Northwest Health District, to the boards of health in the 10-county district outlined a recent change to their reporting guidelines.
The change primarily has to do with the accuracy of a test intended to show if someone has had a previous COVID-19 infection.
There are two types of tests. A serologic-only test, obtained by a finger-prick blood sample, shows if a previous COVID-19 infection was present by looking for antibodies. The serologic test is also known as an antibody test.
There is also the diagnostic test, which is obtained by a nasal swab, to test for an active infection.
Because of the unreliability of some of the serologic tests — many of which haven’t been approved by the Food and Drug Administration beyond emergency use — the state decided to stop counting the results of those test as of April 24.
“Some antibody tests have low sensitivity and specificity and may not produce reliable results, but because of the relative simplicity of the technology, the Food and Drug Administration decided to waive initial review of the tests as part of its emergency response to the coronavirus outbreak,” Voccio wrote in the letter.
At this point the DPH isn’t going to go back and adjust those numbers, citing a lack of resources.
“We simply do not have the resources right now to go back and remove the serology-only cases, some of which surely represent actual COVID-19 infections, from your total case count,” Voccio wrote.
However, they released the number of cases which have had serology-only tests within the district as of April 24: Floyd County – 1 case Walker County – 44 cases Catoosa County – 23 cases Dade County – 11 cases Chattooga County – 2 cases Gordon County – 2 cases Nearly all of the serologyonly cases were reported by a clinic in Walker County and made up a majority of the cases in that county.
Some area long-term care facilities hit hard
Long-term care facilities early on took steps to limit interaction with the public in order to protect their residents. However, three in this region have been hit hard by the new coronavirus.
A Georgia Department of Community Health report published on April 28 stated Rome Health and Rehabilitation on Redmond Circle had 24 residents who tested positive for COVID-19 as well as 36 staff members. Four residents have died as a result of the disease.
A facility in Gordon County, Calhoun Health Care Center on U.S. 41, is dealing with a similar outbreak. The report stated 23 of its 69 residents and seven staff members tested positive for COVID-19. Six residents of the facility who tested positive for the disease have died.
In Bartow County, the Maple Ridge Health Care Center listed 22 residents and six staff members who tested positive for the disease. The report also listed nine resident deaths.
Overall in Floyd County, six other long-term care facilities reported at least one staff-member COVID-19 infection to the Department of Community Health, but no residents testing positive for the disease.
Winthrop Health and Rehab on Chateau Drive, Seven Hills Place on Technology Parkway, Pruitthealth Rome on Three Mile Road, Fifth Avenue Healthcare on Fifth Avenue, Evergreen Health and Rehabilitation Center on Moran Lake Road and Chulio Hills Health and Rehab on Chulio Road were listed on the report.
The report reflects the total numbers over time, not necessarily the current situation at a facility.
For instance, an earlier communication with a representative of Chulio Hills stated the staff member tested positive near the end of March but is still listed on the DCH report.
According to the World Health Organization, the time between exposure to the novel coronavirus and the moment when symptoms start is commonly around five to six days but can range from one to 14 days.