NEW
NEW YEAR...WE STILL HAVE TO GET THROUGH THE HOLIDAY SEASON.
AND BY NOW WE'VE ALL
BEEN MADE AWARE OF
THE COVID-19
GUIDELINES...AS IT
PERTAINS TO PARTIES AND
SUCH.
MAYBE YOU CANCELLED
THE BIG FAMILY
THANKSGIVING DINNER
BECAUSE OF THE
RECOMMENDATION YOU
KEEP TO THOSE WHO JUST
LIVE IN YOUR HOUSE.
MAYBE YOU'VE DONE THE
SAME THING FOR
CHRISTMAS OR
HANNAKUH.
THEN AGAIN, MAYBE
YOUR ONE OF THOSE
WHO WENT AHEAD WITH
IT ANYWAY...BECAUSE YOU
GOT A COVID TEST AND IT
TURNED UP NEGATIVE.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT
HAS BEEN ON THE RISE
THIS SEASON.
PEOPLE GETTING TESTED
JUST...SO THEY CAN STILL
GO TO GRANDMA'S FOR
THE TRADITIONAL
HOLIDAY GET-TOGETHER.
BRAD BIGFORD IS A
NURSE PRACTITIONER
WHO STILL MAKES HOUSE
CALLS.
HE OWNS TABLE ROCK
MOBILE MEDICINE THAT
OPERATES IN AND
AROUND THE TREASURE
VALLEY.
HE CALLS HIS HEALTH
OPERATION THE SMALLEST
IN ADA COUNTY.
DOES MOSTLY FAMILY
PRACTICE
STUFF...ANYTHING FROM
INFLUENZA TO STREP
THROAT...ANYTHING
WHERE SOMEONE IS TOO
SICK OR DOESN'T WANT
TO GO TO AN ACTUAL
URGENT CARE
OFFICE...BRAD AND HIS
PARTNERS WILL COME TO
THEM.
LATELY THAT COULD
MEAN COVID-RELATED
STUFF...INCLUDING
TESTING.
STUFF...INCLUDING TESTING. BUT LATELY BRAD SAYS
HE'S BEEN SEEING AN
INCREASE IN REQUESTS
FOR TESTS.
INTERESTINGLY, RIGHT
BEFORE THE TIME WE
USUALLY GATHER FOR
HOLIDAY PARTIES.
AND IT ALL STARTS WITH
BOOKING AN
APPOINTMENT ON HIS
WEBSITE.
AND IN COVID BOOKING
SECTION IT WILL ASK
THINGS LIKE, ' WHAT'S THE
REASON FOR THE TEST,
ARE YOU HAVING
SYMPTOMS, WAS IT
KNOWN EXPOSURE, OR IS
IT FOR TRAVEL PURPOSES,
OR IS IT TO VISIT A FAMILY
MEMBER?' BECAUSE WE
ARE TRYING TO SCREEN
PEOPLE
AND WHEN THEY BOOK
I'LL GET NOTIFIED AND I
CAN LOOK TO SEE WHO
BOOKED AND WHY AND
THEN SOMETIMES, LIKE
THIS MORNING, I GOT A
BOOKING FOR A BIG
FAMILY AND IT SAID
REASON FOR VISIT, TO GO
VISIT FAMILY FOR
CHRISTMAS
BEFORE THANKSGIVING
YOU WERE GETTING A LOT
OF THIS "WE WANT TO
VISIT FAMILY" KIND OF
REQUESTS, RIGHT?
YEP, AND WE ACTUALLY
STARTED TELLING PEOPLE,
'NO, THIS IS NOT
MEDICALLY NECESSARY'
BECAUSE THAT'S THE BIG
THING RIGHT? WE'RE AN
URGENT CARE SO IF
PEOPLE BOOK US FOR A
NURSE PRACTITIONER TO
GO TO THE HOME AND
IT'S JUST TO GO VISIT
FAMILY AND ANOTHER
PERSON WANTS US TO GO
SEE THEM AND THEY'RE
SUPER SICK AND THEY
CAN'T GET IN, NOW ALL
OF A SUDDEN IT'S THE
FAMILY THAT JUST WANTS
TO GO TO THANKSGIVING
OR CHRISTMAS DINNER IS
TAKING PRECEDENCE
OVER THE PERSON THAT
CAN'T BREATHE
WE DON'T FEEL LIKE
THAT'S APPROPRIATE
BECAUSE WE WANT TO SEE
THE PEOPLE THAT NEED
US AND ARE SICK AND
NOT JUST GO AROUND
TESTING PEOPLE SO THEY
CAN GO SEE THEIR
GRANDMOTHER
SO YOU REALLY GOT A
LOT OF REQUESTS PRIOR
TO THANKSGIVING AND
THEN AS SOON AS THE
HOLIDAY WAS OVER THEY
DROPPED
OFF?...YEAH...LIKE BY HOW
MUCH?...
I'D PROBABLY SAY 25-50
PERCENT.
PERCENT. WE WERE BOOKED OUT THREE DAYS IN ADVANCE THE WEEK
BEFORE THANKSGIVING
AND THEN THE WEEK
AFTER THANKSGIVING WE
HAD TONS OF OPENINGS
IN OUR SCHEDULE, WHICH
EVENTUALLY FILLED UP
BUT NO WHERE NEAR THE
AMOUNT PRIOR TO THE
HOLIDAY
HOLIDAY
SO
SO DO
SO DO YOU
SO DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT THIS WAS PEOPLE'S WAY OF TRYING TO FEEL
SAFE BECAUSE THEY
REALLY WANTED TO GO
VISIT FAMILY THAT WERE
OUTSIDE OF THEIR HOME?
YEAH I THINK PEOPLE
HAVE REALLY GOOD
INTENTIONS
BUT WHEN YOU START
BREAKING IT DOWN, THE
PLAN AND WHERE THE
HOLES ARE, YOU KNOW
YOU'RE TAKING A CHANCE
WITH YOUR HIGH RISK
FAMILY MEMBER THAT
YOU DON'T HAVE IT, AND
YOU'RE GOING TO GET A
FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY
WITH A NEGATIVE TEST,
IT'S JUST A CHANCE I'M
NOT WILLING TO TAKE
WHAT WOULD BE THE
FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY,
WHY IS THIS NOT A GOOD
IDEA?
SO IF YOU GET A TEST, ALL
THE TEST IS SAYING IS
COVID DETECTED OR NOT.
SO IF YOU GET EXPOSED
YESTERDAY, AND YOU TEST
TODAY TO GO VISIT YOUR
GRANDMA TOMORROW,
THE TEST IS GOING TO SAY
NO, IT'S NOT DETECTED,
BUT YOU COULD STILL
HAVE THE VIRUS IN YOUR
BODY AND BY THE TIME
YOU GET TO THAT PARTY
YOU COULD THEN START
SHEDDING IT BUT YOU
ALREADY HAD A NEGATIVE
TEST SO WHY WOULD YOU
TAKE ALL THESE
MEASURES OF
DISTANCING AND NOT
GOING INDOORS AND
NOT BEING IN CLOSE
CONTACT AND WEARING
A MASK, WHY WOULD
YOU DO THAT IF YOU HAD
A NEGATIVE TEST?
SO THAT'S WHY IT'S NOT
A GOOD PLAN BECAUSE
YOU CAN GET A NEGATIVE
TEST BUT STILL HAVE
COVID BECAUSE IT DIDN'T
HAVE ENOUGH TIME YET
TO DETECT IT
AND IF SOMEBODY OR A
FAMILY IS JUST KIND OF
REQUESTING A TEST SO
THEY CAN GO VISIT OTHER
FAMILY, YOU WOULD
ASSUME, TOO, THAT
WOULD ALSO KIND OF
BOG DOWN SOME OF
THESE LABS.
RIGHT SO I KNOW THE
LAB WE USE, COLE
DIAGNOSTICS, THEY ARE
CRANKING OUT
HUNDREDS AND
HUNDREDS OF TESTS
EVERYDAY AND THEIR TEST
VOLUME HAD BLOWN UP
THE WEEK OF
THANKSGIVING TO THE
POINT THAT THE OWNER,
DR COLE, HE WAS
SLEEPING AT THE LAB ON
A COUCH EVERY NIGHT SO
IF THERE WAS PROBLEM
WITH THE MACHINES HE
COULD FIX IT SO HE SLEPT
AT HIS OWN LAB FOR A
WEEK JUST TO KEEP UP
WITH DEMAND
SO YOU SAW THAT RUN
UP PRIOR TO
THANKSGIVING. HERE WE
ARE 9 DAYS UNTIL
CHRISTMAS ARE YOU
STARTING TO SEE THE
SAME THING WHEN IT
COMES TO REQUESTS FOR
TESTS?
OH YEAH IT'S ALREADY
HAPPENED THIS WEEK. SO
WE'RE AT WEDNESDAY.
MONDAY, TUESDAY OUR
REQUESTS WENT UP AND
THEN TODAY IT';S EVEN
MORE AND I'M STARTING
TO SCREEN PEOPLE OUT
WHAT WOULD YOU
RATHER SEE PEOPLE
DOING,
DOING, RIGHT NOW? WEARING MASKS, STAYING HOME, NOT
INTERACTING WITH
PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF THEIR
IMMEDIATE FAMILY
MEMBERS THAT LIVE WITH
THEM. DON'T GO TO
THOSE THANKSGIVING
DINNERS WHICH IS WHY
WE HAD SO MANY
NUMBER EXPLODE
AFTERWARDS
DON'T GO TO THAT
CHRISTMAS EVE AND
CHRISTMAS DAY DINNERS
BECAUSE IT'S GONNA PUT
THE HIGH RISK PEOPLE AT
GREATER RISK
THE GREATEST RISK RIGHT
NOW OF PEOPLE
CONTRACTING COVID
ISN'T THE HUGE EVENTS,
IT'S THESE SMALLER
EVENTS WITH CLOSE
EXTENDED FAMILIES AND
FRIENDS INDOORS
FRIENDS INDOORS
IT'S
IT'S NOT
IT'S NOT THAT BRAD THINKS PEOPLE SHOULDN'T BE TESTED.
IN FACT, HE BELIEVES
EVERYONE, EVEN
ASYMPTOMATIC PEOPLE
SHOULD BE TESTED.
BUT GIVEN THE
RESOURCES WE HAVE
NOW...IT'S JUST NOT
FEASIBLE AND IT'S TAKING
AWAY FROM THOSE WHO
ARE REALLY SICK.
AND IT'S NOT JUST HIS
PRACTICE...HE SAYS THIS
GOES FOR ANY URGENT
CARE FACILITY.
I CHECKED WITH CRUSH
THE CURVE TODAY AND
THEY ADMITTED THEY
SAW A HUGE INCREASE
RIGHT BEFORE
THANKSGIVING.
THEY DID POINT OUT,
THOUGH...THEIR
POSITIVITY RATE DURING
THAT TIME WAS 58-
PERCENT SO MAYBE IT
WAS THAT PEOPLE WERE
JUST REALLY SICK.
BUT BRAD'S
RIGHT...ASKING FOR A
TEST FOR A TRAVEL
REASON...DOES ADD
MORE WORK TO THE
ALREADY OVER-WORKED
LABS RUNNING THE
RESULTS.
DOCTOR RYAN COLE,
WHO BRAD MENTIONED
OWNS COLE
DIAGNOSTICS...YEAH, HE
DID SPEND THE WEEK
BEFORE THANKSGIVING
SLEEPING AT HIS LAB.
I ASKED HIM.
THEY DID 1350 TESTS THE
DAY BEFORE
THANKSGIVING.
THEY'LL DO ANOTHER
1000 TODAY.
IN THE LAST 2 AND A
HALF MONTHS DOCTOR
COLE TOLD ME...HE HAS
SPENT A TOTAL OF FOUR
FULL DAYS AT HOME.
THE REST...HAS BEEN
SPENT AT THE
LAB...WORKING...AND
SLEEPING IN A RECLINER
IN HIS OFFICE.
HE SAID THE TESTS THEY
RUN AREN'T DONE ON A
PRIORITY BASIS.
IT'S FIRST COME, FIRST
SERVED.
AND IT WOULD BE A
SHAME IF SOMEONE WHO
NEEDED TO KNOW THE
RESULT OF THIER TEST SO
THEY COULD GO BACK TO
WORK....IF THEIR RESULT
GOT BUMPED BECAUSE
THE SMITH'S JUST
WANTED TO CELEBRATE
CHRISTMAS...LIKE WE