Riverside doctors discuss COVID-19: Peak cases and antibody testing

(AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Posted: Apr 23, 2020 / 02:50 PM MDT

Updated: Apr 23, 2020 / 02:50 PM MDT

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) — Has Southeastern Virginia reached the peak of coronavirus?

A doctor with Riverside Health System thinks so.

Dr. Michael Dacey, president and chief operating officer for RHS, said that he believes our area has reached peak COVID-19 infection based on model information for Southeastern Virginia.

This is in line with statements made by Gov. Ralph Northam on Monday when he said that projections anticipate the commonwealth will reach peak COVID-19 cases this week.

Dacey said that there are caveats to the peak models — for example, some Virginia prisons are starting to see an increase in positive COVID-19 cases

But for the overall population, it appears that we have reached the peak in Southeastern Virginia.

“All that said, we don’t know what the future holds in terms of the next six months or so,” Dacey said. “We do think there will be coronavirus circulating this fall.”

Dacey said its important for health care workers to begin thinking about a flu vaccine. Fewer cases of the flu in late summer and fall will help doctors carefully distinguish who has COVID-19 and who has influenza.

He also pointed back to the 1918 outbreak of the Spanish influenza — a deadly pandemic that infected about a third of the world’s population and killed at least 50 million people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dacey said that during the Spanish flu pandemic, health care providers saw “multiple waves” of infections. Doctors believe infection waves are possible with coronavirus, too.

Dacey spoke during a Facebook Live Town Hall hosted by RHS on Thursday. The Facebook Live was the first in a planned series of health updates from the health care system.

Dacey also spoke about antibody testing. He said that RHS is working to bring antibody testing to Hampton Roads.

Antibody testing is different than the test to diagnose COVID-19. Antibodies are produced after a person catches the virus and can be found in a person’s plasma. Researchers are studying how antibodies might help in the fight against COVID -19, but it isn’t clear if it will be effective yet, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

“The issue with antibody testing is it’s not widely available right now. It’s just beginning to ramp up. It’s a complicated test and one of the big concerns has been accuracy,” Dacey said. “We are working with some local and regional and national companies to try and bring antibody testing here.”

Dr. Theresa Emory, a pathologist, said that antibody testing is in the early stages of development. She said it’s important that antibody testing is specific, because doctors want to make sure that the test confirms that patients have antibodies for COVID-19 and not another virus.

Emory said that RHS is working with the American Red Cross to identify patients who have recovered from COVID-19 and have antibodies. They may be able to donate plasma that could be used in the fight against coronavirus. Scientists are studying how effective antibodies may be when used to treat people who are suffering from serious COVID-19 infections.

Dacey said that antibody testing would be valuable — it could help doctors understand how widespread the COVID-19 outbreak is, especially in people who catch the disease but are asymptomatic.

Dr. Gary Kavit leads the emergency room team at Riverside Regional Medical Center.

He said 911 calls and emergency room visits are down in some parts of Hampton Roads. His team is seeing fewer emergency room patients, but those who are coming in are reporting that they are sicker than those who came in prior to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Kavit said he believes it’s likely because people are afraid to come to the hospital because they fear getting infected with COVID-19.

“There are all sorts of other time-sensitive conditions that people will get and the incidents of these diseases and processes has not decreased, so our concern is that people are delaying the care that they actually need. I strongly urge you to call 911 or come to the hospital when you feel that you need,” Kavit said, adding that RHS emergency room patients are kept separate from those who have COVID-19.