Health

Mass. residents rated among lowest risk for coronavirus Massachusetts has reported among the nation's highest number of corona- virus cases. But if there's good news, it's that the state's residents have among the lowest risks of serious ill- ness from the virus. Among Massachusetts adults, 39% were found in a Kaiser Family Foundation study published March 17 to be at risk of serious illness based on factors including those with heart dis- ease, cancer, diabetes, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD. Nationally, 41% of adults — more than 105.5 million people — have a higher risk of developing serious ill- ness if they are infected with coronavi- rus, due to their older age or health condition, the Kaiser Family Foundation said. Only seven states, plus Washington, D.C. and Guam, had better overall rates than Massachusetts. West Virginia, the last state to announce coronavirus cases, was worst, followed by Maine, Arkansas and Florida. As for those 60 are older, who are generally at a higher risk, Massachusetts, with a relatively larger population of seniors, ranked far worse. In that case, 77.2% of older adults in Massachusetts were deemed at risk, the sixth-highest score. For those under 60, the at-risk rate in Massachusetts was just 12.7%. That's good for third-best nationally, behind Washington, D.C. and Minnesota. Health Care Br iefs U Mass Memorial Medical Center started drive-thru coronavirus screening in a special facility at its University Campus in Worcester on March 18, according to the medical director of the Worcester Division of Public Health. Dr. Michael Hirsh, who is a pediatric surgeon at UMass Memorial, tweeted the news on March 17. The new capability will allow UMass Memorial to test a greater number of potential coronavirus patients at a time when Gov. Charlie Baker and others have pushed for more testing to be done quickly. Worcester County had eight confirmed coronavirus cases as of March 17, and the state has 218, A test for the novel coronavirus run on the Panther system from Marlborough medical device manufacturer Hologic has received Emergency Use Authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The Marlborough company announced on March 16 the company's SARS-CoV-2 assay, a molecular diagnostic test that detects SARS-CoV-2, can now be used to test patients under the authorization. The Panther Fusion system is a fully automated, high-throughput molecular diagnostic platform wide- ly used throughout the United States, according to Hologic. Each Panther Fusion system can provide results on a coronavirus test in less than three hours and process up to 1,150 coronavirus tests in a 24-hour period. Kevin Thornal, president of the diagnostics solutions division at Hologic's San Diego facility, said the company's science teams worked overtime to get a test up and running in about two months, a drastic reduction from the typical three-year approval process. "A lot of people sleeping in the labs, a lot of people working through the night," Thornal said. "The people who work in our labs, they feel this is what they are put on earth to do." The test is able to be run alongside diagnosis of other common respiratory illnesses. Hologic expects to provide its laboratory customers with tens of thousands of SARS-CoV-2 tests in March as it ramps up production capacity. Starting in April, Hologic expects to produce nearly 600,000 SARS-CoV-2 tests a month. I n n o v a t i o n FDA emergency authorizes Hologic's coronavirus test UMass Memorial conducts coronavirus drive-thru screening according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. UMass Memorial was working to set up a similar testing station at Marlborough Hospital, according to a memo to hospital staff. The testing is in a secure area to limit potential exposure to others. Both mobile testing centers will be set aside for patients who have been evaluated by a health provider and referred for testing after meeting criteria, which includes showing symptoms and the following: having close contact with a symptomatic coronavirus case; a travel history in the prior 14 days to the federal government's so-called Level 3 countries, which includes much of Europe, for non-essential travel; a dialysis patient referred from a dialysis center; and those with need for priority testing due to a clinical situation, such as police or emergency responders. "There are still limitations on our ability to provide testing for COVID- 19," UMass Memorial President and CEO Eric Dickson said in the memo. "We are hoping to provide more testing in the future, but currently have to reserve these tests for patients who are sick enough to be hospitalized, have high-risk of having coronavirus based on travel history or exposure to another individual known to have coronavirus, are healthcare workers, or patients who are on dialysis," he said. Dickson said the hospital is creating a centralized call center staffed by clinicians to screen patients suspected of having coronavirus for outpatient clinics and UMass Memorial's Community Medical Group sites. The hospital added new capabilities within its electronic health records system starting March 17 allowing providers to message an infection control provider regarding clinical questions. These messages can be attached to patient names, giving the on-call provider the capability to access that patient's medical record to help provide recommendations. Hospitals are also enacting stricter patient visit standards. Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester, MetroWest Medical Center in Framingham and Natick, and Milford Regional Medical Center have banned all visitors except for limited cases such as end-of-life care and a birthing partner on maternity units. H UMass Memorial's University Campus has become a key center for coronavirus testing. B r i e f s H Hologic's Panther system can run tests for a number of diseases. Kevin Thornal, president of diag- nostics, Hologic 4 HE ALTH • Spring 2020

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