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Southwest Health expects omicron peak, discusses ‘flurona’

Health system gave omicron update in Jan. 12 meeting

The Southwest Health System COVID-19 team announced Jan. 12 that it expected local omicron cases to peak within a couple of weeks.

Southwest Health hosted another Facebook Live session Jan. 12 discussing the coronavirus amid the surge of the fast-spreading, yet seemingly less severe, omicron variant.

Marc Meyer, director of pharmacy services and infection control, Alan Laird, lab director and Maddie Wright, infection prevention and quality data analyst presented the information.

“We also are really hoping that we see the same pattern here as we have in other countries and places where it’s a pretty quick spike and drop,” Laird said.

There have been 269 new virus cases in Montezuma County in the past week, according to Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment data published Tuesday.

Since the start of the pandemic, 19 Montezuma County residents have died because of COVID-19, and 59 have died with the virus in their system, according to CDPHE.

As of Jan. 11, Southwest Health System had transferred 82 patients to other hospitals for high levels of care since Nov. 15. Fifteen of those cases were COVID-related.

Data from the Southwest Medical Walk-in Clinic reported 69% of 383 patients presenting “COVID-type symptoms” between Jan. 1 and Jan. 11, although the data did not specify how many tested positive.

Laird noted that while the hospital was busy, much of it can be attributed to “just general lab stuff too.”

CDPHE preliminary data shows virus death rates dipping in the state despite a sharp increase in cases, although case counts after Dec. 27 are likely to change because of a lag in reporting. For the delta variant, deaths of individuals with COVID-19 in their system peaked in Colorado on Nov. 13, when 48 people died – although data does not specify whether the virus was the cause of death.

Meyer also presented state data that shows a sharp difference in COVID-19 cases among vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals, despite breakthrough cases.

State data used in Southwest Health’s Jan. 12 meeting.
Cortez sees patients with both COVID-19 and flu

Meyer also discussed the notion that the flu and coronavirus could meld into one disease, known as “flurona.” He said that while it is possible for a person to contract both the coronavirus and the flu at the same time, they have not melded into one disease.

But the hospital has experienced patients with simultaneous COVID-19 and flu infections for about a month, he said.

The tricky part about the paired illnesses, he said, is that remedies don’t always mesh. For instance, a treatment for one might exacerbate symptoms of the other, he said.

The simultaneous presence of the flu and coronavirus prompts medical staff to determine which ailment is more pressing to the individual, he said.

Testing is revisited

The panel revisited the effectiveness of antigen tests. While they are “decent,” PCR tests are “essentially 100% sensitive,” Laird said.

Antigen tests are more effective for people who have symptoms, he said. True positive tests are more likely because of high transmission rates. Consequently, false negatives are more likely, especially for people with symptoms.

“If you’re using an antigen test, it’s really a presumptive positive or a presumptive result until it’s confirmed with PCR,” Laird said.

Laird cautioned against using ineffective PCR and antigen tests, but said that the majority of tests on pharmacy shelves are the Quidel QuickVue and Binax Now tests, which he said are fairly effective for antigen tests.

Sample collection is important. He advised people testing at home to follow all test instructions.

“You should really suffer that discomfort to get a good sample,” Laird said.

The panel urged the public to report at-home Binax and Cue test results to CDPHE at covidbinax.colorado.gov.

CDPHE updated instructions for at-home testing Dec. 29.

Meyer said that Southwest Health typically uses a Sofia antigen test, followed by a PCR test.

Laird addressed the Abbott ID Now 15-minute rapid test. A nucleic acid amplification test, it’s most effective for “symptomatic dramatic” cases, he said. While more accurate than an antigen test, it still lags a lab PCR test, he said.

The hospital offers free home tests at the outpatient pharmacy and has drive-thru testing at the EMS building Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Travel COVID-19 tests can be administered at the hospital from 7 to 10 a.m.

Meyer expressed excitement at the possibility of two new vaccines in the works. One, created by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, is thought to be effective against all COVID-19 variants and SARS-originating viruses. The other, manufactured by Texas Children’s Hospital, is being shared patent-free.

Potential concern for pregnant women

Meyer presented information discussing potential COVID-19-related concerns for pregnant women. Pregnant women are more at risk for severe complications from COVID-19, he said. Referencing a study that evaluated 1,249,634 delivery hospitalizations from March 2020 to September 2021, he added that COVID-19 increases the risk of stillbirths.

Within the past two weeks, Southwest Health has administered the antiviral Remdesivir to pregnant patients, he said.