Long says county is not a hot spot, COVID-19 local testing limited

By Neal A. Johnson, UD Editor
Posted 5/20/20

Osage County Health Department Administrator Susan Long said things are looking pretty good locally, with all five COVID-19 cases having been resolved, and no further contact tracing in place at this …

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Long says county is not a hot spot, COVID-19 local testing limited

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Osage County Health Department Administrator Susan Long said things are looking pretty good locally, with all five COVID-19 cases having been resolved, and no further contact tracing in place at this time.

Testing is something she believed would be available to the county within a month, but that hasn’t happened.

“It’s still not occurring very well,” she said. “I have testing kits here, and I have tested one person myself, but the thing is, I can’t test in the (Annex) building because it’s a common ventilation system, and I could potentially expose everybody to the virus, and we can’t have that.”

The one test was conducted outside, and Long said she can’t get enough tests as needed because Osage County is not on the priority list.

“That’s really a good thing because it means we’re not considered a hot spot,” Long added.

She hesitates to encourage a scenario in which people are testing negative for the virus and therefore become more relaxed in their vigilance against exposure.

“What we saw in the beginning with the Truman Building was that people were afraid they were exposed,” said Long. “Without understanding the transmission, we will have people who are not taking precautions. We don’t really know who has it, because we have asymptomatic people who show no signs but have the virus. Some of the studies have shown there could be 55 to 80 times as many positive cases as they thought.”

Testing for antibodies has been discussed at the national and state level, but most of these tests, Long said, have not been approved by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA).

“There’s still a significant percentage of false negatives, and it lets us know if someone has been exposed, but it does not let us know if they still have an active disease,” said Long. “There’s just a lot of unknowns with it, and I’m not comfortable with that. It’s potentially a waste of money. Until we see something that’s got a better track record, I’m leery of those tests.”

The push for antibody testing is to provide some reassurance to some people. “It doesn’t give me reassurance because they haven’t been able to determine whether someone with the antibodies can be reinfected,” said Long. “That’s another reason I’m not real hip on it. I think it potentially creates a false sense of security.”

Most important, Long said, is preventing the spread, and along those lines, there are some things that have become a concern.

Social distancing has been from the start a huge factor in slowing the transmission of the coronavirus, and masks have been encouraged — and in some places — required, but are they effective?

“The whole thing with the masks is that it’s not necessarily going to prevent someone from getting exposed,” said Long. “Using the masks in public is designed to prevent people who may have the virus from spewing it out to other people. That’s the main reason for it. If you’d have asked me two months ago whether we’d be using cloth masks, I would have laughed, because I didn’t think it would do any good, but then again, something is better than nothing, especially with the continued PPE shortage.”

Long explained that she has been able to acquire some Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) but she hasn’t been able to get the N95 mask, which is a better fit and more effective.

After training last October to fit-test the masks to individuals, Long is prepared once the N95 masks become available.

“We’re not just looking at the health department, but at all our emergency medical, law enforcement and fire crews, the nursing homes and the coroner,” said Long. “There are high-risk people who would benefit from the N95 mask.”

There has been some concern about how businesses are interacting with customers now that the state and county have lifted stay-at-home restrictions.

“We did an advisory instead of an order, and we encourage business owners to follow the guidelines laid out by the Department of Health and Senior Services,” said Long. “We also reminded business owners that they have the right to screen people and require them to wear masks. I’m certainly going to recommend that all businesses have their employees wear masks as well.”

Long acknowledges that masks are not pleasant to wear for long periods, but the alternative is worse.

“You’ll be a lot hotter with a fever and COVID-19,” she said. “A lot of what we’re doing is trying to reinforce the guidelines. It’s important that businesses let everyone know what they’re doing to prevent the spread of the virus. Public perception is huge, and signs with procedures make people feel better.”

On the flip side, anyone who is concerned about a business that does not adhere to these guidelines has the option to not patronize that business.

As for the gradual reopening of the economy, Long believed the governor’s plan is solid, but she acknowledges that he can shut it down again if things turn sour.

“I have that ability too here in the county,” said Long.

There is not as much concern for Long with people gathering outside. “As long as they’re not hanging all over each other,” she added. “There are studies that suggest sunlight kills the virus, and the wind helps disperse it.”

The bottom line is that people need to take personal responsibility. “Ultimately, if you put yourself in a situation and you’re not looking around and not doing things to protect yourself, you could potentially expose others, like your grandmother or a child with a compromised immune system,” said Long. “It’s not just about the individual. It’s about everybody.”

Individuals aged 15-25 are most likely to be asymptomatic, Long said, adding they need to be especially careful with their actions.

“We know it’s hard, and we’re not trying to single anyone out,” said Long.

Vaccine development is still 18 months to two years out, Long said, and the question is what form it will take. “Will it be a lifetime shot or once a year like the flu shot? What percentage of people will it actually cover? We don’t know whether it will be effective enough to create herd immunity,” said Long. “There’s still so much we just don’t know.”

The county will soon be getting details from the Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) about how best to administer $1.597 million which has arrived to the county from the Coronavirus Relief Act (CARES), which will reimburse 100% of qualifying expenses. However, there’s no clear guidance yet on how to distribute the funds.