Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Baylor Scott & White Medical Center, Temple, Texas.
Department of Pulmonary Medicine and Critical Care and Chief Medical Officer, Baylor Scott & White Medical Center, Temple, Texas.
J Med Virol. 2020 Oct;92(10):2130-2138. doi: 10.1002/jmv.26010. Epub 2020 Jun 2.
Rapid diagnosis and isolation are key to containing the quick spread of a pandemic agent like severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which has spread globally since its initial outbreak in Wuhan province in China. SARS-CoV-2 is novel and the effect on typically prevalent seasonal viruses is just becoming apparent. We present our initial data on the prevalence of respiratory viruses in the month of March 2020. This is a retrospective cohort study post launching of SARS-CoV-2 testing at Baylor Scott and White Hospital (BSWH), Temple, Texas. Testing for SARS-CoV-2 was performed by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assay and results were shared with State public health officials for immediate interventions. More than 3500 tests were performed during the first 2 weeks of testing for SARS-CoV-2 and identified 168 (4.7%) positive patients. Sixty-two (3.2%) of the 1912 ambulatory patients and 106 (6.3%) of the 1659 emergency department/inpatients tested were positive. The highest rate of infection (6.9%) was seen in patients aged 25 to 34 years, while the lowest rate of infection was seen among patients aged <25 years old (2%). County-specific patient demographic information was shared with respective public health departments for epidemiological interventions. Incidentally, this study showed that there was a significant decrease in the occurrence of seasonal respiratory virus infections, perhaps due to increased epidemiological awareness about SARS-CoV-2 among the general public, as well as the social distancing measures implemented in response to SARS-CoV-2. Data extracted for BSWH from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System site revealed that Influenza incidence was 8.7% in March 2020, compared with 25% in March 2019. This study was intended to provide an initial experience of dealing with a pandemic and the role of laboratories in crisis management. This study provided SARS-CoV-2 testing data from ambulatory and inpatient population. Epidemiological interventions depend on timely availability of accurate diagnostic tests and throughput capacity of such systems during large outbreaks like SARS-CoV-2.
快速诊断和隔离是控制像严重急性呼吸综合征相关冠状病毒 2（SARS-CoV-2）这样的大流行病病原体快速传播的关键，自 2019 年在中国湖北省首次爆发以来，SARS-CoV-2 已在全球范围内传播。SARS-CoV-2 是一种新型病毒，其对常见季节性病毒的影响才刚刚显现。我们报告了 2020 年 3 月呼吸道病毒流行情况的初步数据。这是在德克萨斯州坦普尔的贝勒斯科特和怀特医院（BSWH）推出 SARS-CoV-2 检测后进行的回顾性队列研究。SARS-CoV-2 的检测采用实时逆转录聚合酶链反应（RT-PCR）检测方法进行，检测结果与州公共卫生官员共享，以便立即采取干预措施。在 SARS-CoV-2 检测的前两周，共进行了 3500 多次检测，发现 168 例（4.7%）阳性患者。在 1912 名门诊患者和 1659 名急诊/住院患者中，有 62 例（3.2%）和 106 例（6.3%）检测结果为阳性。感染率最高（6.9%）的是 25 至 34 岁的患者，而感染率最低（2%）的是<25 岁的患者。县特定的患者人口统计信息与各自的公共卫生部门共享，以便进行流行病学干预。顺便说一下，这项研究表明，季节性呼吸道病毒感染的发生率显著下降，这可能是由于公众对 SARS-CoV-2 的流行病学认识提高，以及为应对 SARS-CoV-2 而实施的社会隔离措施。从疾病控制与预防中心（CDC）的国家呼吸道和肠道病毒监测系统（NREVSS）站点提取的 BSWH 数据显示，2020 年 3 月流感发病率为 8.7%，而 2019 年 3 月为 25%。这项研究旨在提供应对大流行的初步经验以及实验室在危机管理中的作用。本研究提供了门诊和住院患者人群的 SARS-CoV-2 检测数据。在 SARS-CoV-2 等大规模爆发期间，流行病学干预取决于及时获得准确的诊断测试和此类系统的吞吐量能力。
