COVID-19 Update May 11, 2020
Gov. Cuomo’s Press Conference Today, May 11
Data:
– Total hospitalizations 7,226 as of yesterday
– Net intubations is down
– Lives lost 161 (112 in hospitals, 49 in nursing homes)
– New hospitalizations 488 as of yesterday
Reopening:
– Regions can reopen when numbers show decline in accordance with CDC guidelines
and there is testing/tracing plan in place
– Regions must meet 7 metrics
– 14 day decline in hospitalizations OR under 15 new hospitalizations
(3-day average)
– 14 day decline in hospitalized deaths OR under 5 new (3-day average)
– New hospitalizations – under 2 per1 00K residents (3 day rolling average)
– Share of total beds available (threshold of 30%)
– Share of ICU beds available (threshold of 30%)
– 30 per 1k residents tested monthly (7-day average of new tests per day)
– 30 contact tracers per 100k residents or to meet current infection rate
– Southern tier, Mohawk Valley, and Finger Lakes Regions meet metrics for reopening
Phased Reopening of Businesses:
– Businesses will reopen on a risk vs. reward basis
– Businesses will have to consider:
– Adjusted workplace hours and shift design
– Social distancing
– Non-essential travel restrictions
– Wearing masks if in frequent contact with others
– Strict cleaning and sanitation standards
– Continuous health screenings
– Continuous tracing, tracking, and reporting
– Liability for maintaining processes
Local Officials:
– Testing – tracing in place
– Monitor infection rate with hospitals
– Communicate with other local governments
– Regional Control room of healthcare professionals and other necessary
personnel to monitor the situation across regions
Regional Control Rooms:
– Announcing members of regional control rooms to monitor regional metrics today
Looking Back:
– Virus attacked us from Europe in January and February and no one knew
– Projected hospitalizations were 120K
Please join the NYS Department of Health at a COVID-19 Update
Thursday May 14th at 1-2PM for a COVID-19 update for healthcare providers.
To accommodate the large number of participants,
find our webinar streaming via YouTube Live
(and available for viewing immediately thereafter)
on the NYSDOH COVID website for providers.
For audio only, please dial in: 844-512-2950
FDA Approves First Coronavirus Diagnostic Test That Uses CRISPR Technology
The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday authorized the first test to detect the coronavirus using CRISPR technology.
The test, manufactured by genetic engineering company Sherlock Biosciences, provides results in approximately one hour. The test kit works by programming a CRISPR molecule to detect the presence of a genetic signature specific to SARS-CoV-2 in a nasal swab, nasopharyngeal swab, oropharyngeal swab, or broncho-alveolar lavage (BAL) specimen. When the signature is found, the CRISPR enzyme releases a detectable signal. The test is designed for use in high-volume CLIA laboratories and hospitals.
Sherlock is working to rapidly scale the production of the test kit and said it will share plans for distribution and availability in the coming weeks.
“While it has only been a little over a year since the launch of Sherlock Biosciences, today we have made history with the very first FDA-authorized use of CRISPR technology, which will be used to rapidly identify the virus that causes COVID-19,” Sherlock Bio Cofounder, President, and CEO Rahul Dhanda said in a statement. “We are committed to providing this initial wave of testing kits to physicians, laboratory experts, and researchers worldwide to enable them to assist frontline workers leading the charge against this pandemic.”
The company said it is also developing an instrument-free, handheld test that would provide rapid detection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in a format like an at-home pregnancy test. May 8 Modern Healthcare
This story first appeared in our sister publication, Genomeweb.
Map Shows Communities Vulnerable to Severe Cases of COVID-19
An interactive map created by Experian shows which populations are most at-risk of developing severe cases of COVID-19.The map uses data on the community’s health, such as rates of pre-existing conditions like chronic lung disease or severe asthma, demographic information and social factors like population density and use of public transit to determine a community’s risk.
Estimated Volume Losses for 30 Service Lines
Across all service lines, COVID-19 pushed the number of unique patients who sought hospital care down by an average of 54.5 percent, according to a year-over-year analysis from Strata Decision Technology.
For the analysis, data scientists examined more than 2 million patient visits and procedures from 51 healthcare delivery systems in 40 states. The 228 hospitals represented in the study had varying rates of COVID-19 cases.
Here are the estimated volume losses for 30 service lines for a two-week period in late March-April 2020 compared to the same period a year prior:
Ophthalmology: 81 percent
Spine: 76 percent
Gynecology: 75 percent
Orthopedics: 74 percent
Ear, nose and throat: 72 percent
Endocrine: 68 percent
Dermatology: 67 percent
Gastroenterology: 67 percent
Rheumatology: 66 percent
Neurosciences: 66 percent
General medicine: 64 percent
Urology: 62 percent
Genetics: 60 percent
Vascular: 59 percent
Hepatology: 58 percent
Cardiology: 57 percent
Pulmonology: 56 percent
Breast health: 55 percent
General surgery: 54 percent
Nephrology: 52 percent
Hematology: 49 percent
Allergy and immunology: 48 percent
Behavioral health: 45 percent
Burns and wounds: 44 percent
Cancer: 37 percent
Obstetrics: 30 percent
Infectious disease: 23 percent
Neonatology: 20 percent
Not assigned: 4 percent
Normal newborn: 2 percent
View the full report here. (May 11)
Physicians Rethinking Use of Ventilators for Some COVID-19 Patients
Some COVID-19 patients come to the hospital with low blood oxygen levels — levels that should have them gasping for air — but instead, these patients are awake and talking, resulting in some physicians rethinking the use of ventilators for them, according to The Wall Street Journal.
It is unclear why certain COVID-19 patients are unaffected by low blood oxygen levels and able to tolerate them, but some physicians are now holding off invasive mechanical ventilation for these patients.
Initially during the pandemic, physicians would rush to intubate these patients sooner, afraid of their sudden and swift deterioration. But recently, physicians at Stony Brook (N.Y.) Hospital and Ochsner Medical Center-West Bank Campus in Gretna, La., have put these patients on ventilators less often and are instead using other machines, such as CPAP machines, BiPAP machines or high-flow nasal cannulas.
Scott Weingart, MD, chief of emergency critical care in the department of emergency medicine at Stony Brook Hospital told the Journal about a 42-year-old COVID-19 patient with dangerously low blood oxygen levels, who was able to sit up and talk. Dr. Weingart and his team used a high-flow nasal cannula to increase the patient’s blood oxygen levels and placed the patient on his stomach, called “prone positioning,” which can boost oxygen levels. The patient was discharged without being placed on a ventilator.
The hospitals eschewing the use of ventilators in favor of CPAP and BiPAP machines are also careful to use filters on the masks and keep patients in specially ventilated rooms since these devices could release the virus into the air, they told the Journal.
Ventilators have played a key role in COVID-19 patient care during the pandemic, and as a result, demand for the machines soared. But their use comes with several risks. Studies have shown that many COVID-19 patients placed on ventilators die. A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that of 320 New York state patients who received invasive mechanical ventilation, 88.1 percent died. (Becker’s Hospital Review, May 11)
Northwell Health Surpasses 10,200 COVID-19 Patient Discharges
Northwell Health has discharged 10,210 COVID-19 patients as of May 11, surpassing the threshold of 10,000 patient discharges, the health system told Becker’s Hospital Review.
The state’s largest health system said the milestone comes more than two months after its hospitals saw the first COVID-19 cases and more than 30 days after Northwell experienced the surge’s peak.
“Based on the data we’ve seen, Northwell has treated more COVID-19 patients than any other health system in the nation,” Northwell President and CEO Michael Dowling said in a news release. “Our success is a reflection of the selfless work of both front-line staff and behind-the-scenes innovation that has enabled us to respond to an unprecedented influx of patients.”
Northwell said it has treated more than 41,000 COVID-19 patients since the beginning of the pandemic. This included about 13,000 hospitalized patients on Long Island, in New York City and Westchester County, as well as those seen in emergency departments, urgent care centers and physician offices. (Becker’s Hospital Review, May 11)
