AdventHealth: Rapid antigen tests are 96% accurate if done within first 5 days of symptoms; herd immunity stats and more

AdventHealth is participating in the clinical trial for one of the Operational Warp Speed investigational COVID-19 vaccines, and they have seen significant advancement on some COVID trends, below

From AdventHealth

Thursday's AdventHealth Morning Briefing featured Dr. Tim Hendrix, medical director at AdventHealth Centra Care, announcing a doubling of capacity for COVID-19 testing services at Centra Care locations in Florida.

The increase will allow Centra Care to conduct more than 20,000 tests per week, which averages about 100 tests per day at select locations. The rapid antigen COVID-19 test is run in-house with results in about 15 minutes. Visit CentraCare.org to make a reservation.

Highlights from the briefing include:

Rapid antigen tests are 96% accurate if done within the first five days of symptoms: “The period of time when you have the highest amount of virus is the day before the start of symptoms to five days after…If you have symptoms, get the test.”

Masking and social distancing works to prevent transmission: “Proximity matters. Wear masks – it’s very simple…We’ve mitigated the risk by wearing masks and with social distance.”

Herd immunity will not happen soon: “We’re looking at antibody rates in the state of Florida of 7-8 percent. In hotspots like New York we’re looking at less than 20 percent. To get to herd immunity, we’ll need to get to 50-60 percent. We need to get to herd immunity by using a vaccine.”

In addition, AdventHealth is participating in the clinical trial for one of the Operational Warp Speed investigational COVID-19 vaccines, and they have seen significant advancement on some COVID trends:

ECMO: While the national survival rate for COVID-19 patients on ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) - a treatment that provides the highest level of short-term life support for patients with advanced heart and lung failure - is 55%, the survival rate at AdventHealth Orlando's ECMO unit is one of the nation's strongest, at 70-80%.

Convalescent Plasma: Physicians at AdventHealth have treated more than 500 people with convalescent plasma and are continuing to see promising results.