New York, like many parts of the country, is seeing “a seriously increased demand for testing,” said Dr. Neal Shipley, medical director of Northwell-GoHealth Urgent Care, adding that while they are not short on tests, they really do need a “little breathing room.”
“Unfortunately, it feels like last year where the demand for testing and the wave is really putting pressure on the health system,” he told DailyExpertNews. “We don’t have any test shortages at the moment… What we really need is a little breathing room.”
Asymptomatic people should consider doing a home test if they can, he added.
“What we really want to do in emergency care is test the sick and the sick, and help differentiate between those who have Covid and those who don’t… So what we need is a little breathing room,” he said. . .
Currently, the facility serves New Yorkers who are sick, who are being tested because they have been exposed to the virus and those who are being tested prior to a family visit for Christmas, Shipley said.
“But it presented us with challenges because the demand is very high,” he said. “The challenge right now is also the flu season. There are many other respiratory viruses … and they all look like Covid at the beginning. Everyone is coughing. Everyone has a fever. Everyone is feeling bad. The challenge is to distinguish between those of Covid [patients] and give those people the care they need.”
Shipley stressed the importance of vaccines, boosters, masking, social distancing and hand washing, which have been the expert guidelines for protecting against Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic.
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