The strains that in latest weeks have stretched for hours at pressing care areas round New York Metropolis should not going away anytime quickly, S
The strains that in latest weeks have stretched for hours at pressing care areas round New York Metropolis should not going away anytime quickly, Summit CityMD CEO Dr. Jeffrey Le Benger informed CNBC on Friday.
Of the roughly 34,000 sufferers that Summit CityMD sees on a regular basis in New York and New Jersey, about 70% are Covid associated, Le Benger mentioned. And far of that’s folks searching for to get examined for Covid-19.
“These strains are going to proceed till a vaccine comes out and till the great climate comes about,” Le Benger mentioned on “Squawk on the Road.” “We’re being inundated, and we are attempting to care for all of those sufferers who come and see us. We’ve got, sure, strains across the block.”
Demand for testing has surged in latest weeks as folks search to get examined for Covid-19 earlier than touring to see household for the vacations and because the virus spreads extra quickly throughout the nation. The spike in demand is but once more straining the nation’s capability to conduct molecular PCR testing, the so-called gold normal of diagnostic assessments.
Summit CityMD, which was fashioned final 12 months after a merger of Summit Medical Group and CityMD, operates about 200 pressing care clinics throughout New York and New Jersey. The corporate mentioned it has employed over 1,000 new workforce members throughout the pandemic to deal with elevated demand for its companies.
“We’ve got to accommodate all these sufferers with retaining sanity and well being to our first-line suppliers,” Le Benger mentioned. Requested whether or not the demand for testing will stay excessive within the New York space after Thanksgiving, he responded, “Completely.”
“I feel we’re simply headed into, sadly, a really robust time with the pandemic,” he mentioned. “And I feel that is going to proceed till {the summertime}, sadly.”
The corporate is conducting greater than 15,000 Covid assessments each day, Le Benger mentioned. Nevertheless it’s not sufficient to fulfill demand.
“For months, our pressing care websites have been terribly busy, seeing thousands and thousands of sufferers for typical pressing care wants plus growing numbers of individuals searching for medical analysis and a COVID-19 take a look at,” CityMD mentioned in a message to sufferers earlier this month. “As you’ll have observed, lengthy strains are a each day reality at practically each CityMD as we see a pointy rise in COVID-19 instances throughout the area.”
Summit CityMD affords three sorts of Covid-19 assessments: A speedy antigen take a look at, an antibody take a look at and a molecular PCR take a look at. Fast antigen assessments detect a present Covid-19 an infection and are most appropriately used to check symptomatic folks. However antigen assessments’ accuracy can fluctuate, particularly in some settings and amongst folks with out signs.
Antibody assessments detect prior an infection. PCR assessments detect viral materials in an individual and are probably the most persistently correct type of take a look at in the marketplace however are extra uncovered to a provide chain that is now resulting in delays in turnaround instances.
Le Benger mentioned Summit CityMD is engaged on new software program in order that sufferers need not wait in line open air to get their Covid take a look at. However he urged folks to put on a masks, observe social distancing and observe public well being steering to cut back the demand for Summit CityMD’s companies.