Coronavirus: Saint Al’s, St. Luke’s roll out plasma therapy for those with COVID-19
Two large hospital systems in the Treasure Valley are implementing a new treatment option for those with COVID-19.
Saint Alphonsus and St. Luke’s hospitals are rolling out a new convalescent blood plasma treatment as a way to combat the virus, according to both hospitals. The process involves taking the blood plasma from a recovered coronavirus patient and giving it to someone who is fighting the virus.
With past viral infections, plasma from recovered patients has been used to form antibodies for those sickened, allowing someone’s immune system to fight a virus more effectively.
“This type of therapy is available now, instead of waiting months for a vaccine,” said Richard Miranda, Saint Alphonsus hematologist and oncology hospitalist, in a news release. “Our hope is to be able to administer this plasma to a patient who is in our COVID unit, before the disease progresses to respiratory failure and the patient needs to be on a ventilator in intensive care.”
St. Luke’s Health System is conducting the same sort of therapy as part of a national effort backed by the Mayo Clinic.
“This will allow us to participate in the process of identifying proven therapies in the fight against COVID-19 disease. It is one of many therapeutic options that we are looking at and ultimately the decision who and when to treat will come from front-line providers,” St. Luke’s Dr. Jim Loveless said in an email.
Earlier this week, Caldwell’s West Valley Medical Center announced that it would participate in a national study to test out this sort of blood plasma treatment.
At the center of these announcements is the need for donated plasma. If you have recovered from the coronavirus and want to donate plasma, contact the American Red Cross Donation Center in Boise at 1 -800-733-2767 or schedule a visit online at redcrossblood.org.
St. Luke’s testing tents now closed on weekends
Starting this Saturday, May 2, St. Luke’s screening and specimen collection tents in Boise, Meridian, Twin Falls and Wood River will be closed on Saturdays and Sundays due to a decrease in traffic. Tests will still be performed Monday-Friday at St. Luke’s tents and are offered free of charge.
Testing will be available at the following locations on weekends but might involve a fee:
- St. Luke’s Clinic urgent care locations in Eagle and on ParkCenter Bouleavard in Boise.
- St. Luke’s Clinic – Capital City Family Medicine in Boise
- St. Luke’s Quick Care in Magic Valley
- St. Luke’s Clinic – Walk-in Care in Ketchum
- Primary Health locations in Meridian, Nampa and Garden City (by appointment)
- Saltzer Medical Group urgent care locations in Nampa
Patients are asked to drive up to the clinics and call, and staff will come outside to meet them.
Rite Aid expands self-testing criteria
Rite Aid is expanding the criteria for its self-swab COVID-19 test to make it available for all adults exhibiting symptoms of the virus.
Self-swab testing is available at 25 stores across eight states, including the Rite Aid in Meridian at 3250 S. Eagle Road. All Rite Aid drive-up testing sites are overseen by Rite Aid pharmacists, and testing locations will be in a store’s parking lot.
To register for test, go to riteaid.com. You must have a government-issued form of identification and be over the age of 18 to sign up for a test.
State adds thousands of negative tests to coronavirus numbers
On Tuesday, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare added over 8,000 returned coronavirus tests to its overall testing numbers, and nearly all the tests came back negative. The largest single-day return on tests prior to Tuesday was on April 4, when 1,391 tests were entered by the state.
The large bump in testing numbers brought with it only a handful of positive cases, as Idaho added 19 new cases Tuesday. New cases were found in Blaine, Canyon, Twin Falls and other counties.
Single deaths were reported Tuesday in Ada and Nez Perce counties. As of Tuesday, 60 people in Idaho have died from the virus.
Idaho’s statewide case count sat at 1,812 as of Tuesday evening.
Cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in 33 of Idaho’s 44 counties: Ada 624, Adams 3, Bannock 7, Bingham 4, Blaine 487, Bonner 4, Bonneville 17, Camas 1, Canyon 232, Caribou 1, Cassia 12, Custer 2, Elmore 27, Fremont 2, Gem 10, Gooding 8, Idaho 3, Jefferson 4, Jerome 38, Kootenai 61, Latah 5, Lemhi 1, Lincoln 22, Madison 6, Minidoka 8, Nez Perce 50, Owyhee 8, Payette 12, Power 2, Teton 8, Twin Falls 140, Valley 2 and Washington 1.
Idaho has community spread in 17 counties: Ada, Bannock, Bingham, Blaine, Bonneville, Canyon, Elmore, Gem, Jefferson, Jerome, Kootenai, Lemhi, Owyhee, Madison, Payette, Teton and Twin Falls.
Boise parks will be cleaned up soon
Some Boise parks have had limited landscaping while the stay-at-home order left some city employees at home, but Parks Director Doug Holloway told the Statesman that will change soon.
Holloway said his team has “very slowly started the deployment of maintenance team members in the more critical areas such as our golf courses and Foothills trail system,” however.
“Within the last week, we have added a few more team members to some of our areas,” Holloway said in an email. “Our hope is to have some partial reactivation of more maintenance team members, particularly in our horticulture unit, beginning next week ... as long as we can safely distance while working, which we believe we can.”
The parks maintenance team will be at full force “when it’s safe,” he said.
Plans for stage 1 of reopening Idaho
Gov. Brad Little’s stay-home order will expire on Thursday night at midnight, and he is set to make an announcement on how the state should move forward into May.
It is expected that Little could allow the state to move into stage one of his four-stage plan, known as Idaho Rebounds, to reopen Idaho.
In stage one, places of worship could open and youth activities could resume, but businesses such as bars, gyms and restaurant dining rooms will remain closed. Both public and private gatherings should still be avoided in stage one.
On Wednesday, the Panhandle Health District put out an advisory notice on how youth organizations should prepare for the change.
Idaho Rebounds suggests organizers plan on limiting the number of participants, limiting carpooling, finding ways to keep a 6-foot distance between participants and keeping activities local. Organizers should also avoid allowing children to share cups or utensils.
Parents should plan on picking up children outside, rather than crowding into one building, and they should consider wearing masks. Leaders should be screened for any COVID-19 symptoms and not attend gatherings if they have symptoms.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a full list of precautions that should be taken when recreating with children.
Places of worship may also open in stage one of the governor’s plan. Idaho Rebounds recommends members try to keep a 6-foot distance from each other when seated or standing. Leaders should also try to keep signage up and direct the flow of traffic to avoid people bumping into each other.
Worshipers should refrain from hugging, shaking hands and any other contact; should be encouraged to wear masks; and should not attend a service if they have symptoms of COVID-19. Leaders should encourage the use of hand sanitizer and hand washing.
Churches also should consider modifying religious practices, such as collecting donations in one basket, or in some faiths, avoid the practice of communion or sharing a wine glass.
St. Mark’s Catholic Church to resume services
St. Mark’s Catholic Church announced Wednesday that it plans to resume limited services on Saturday. The church, at 7960 W. Northview St., seats 1,200 people, but only 200 will be allowed to attend services at one time.
Church officials said in a news release that all who attend will be required to sanitize their hands, wear a mask and have their temperature taken. Movement inside the church will be restricted.
Trained staff and volunteers will be in the church to ensure compliance. The parish, headed by Father Ben Uhlenkott, expressed cautious enthusiasm and released an eight-page plan.
According to the press release, St. Mark’s is following the guidelines of the CDC, Central District Health and the governor’s office.
All people in high-risk categories are asked to stay home until June 15. Parishioners must stay 6 feet apart at all times and comply with hygiene requests. The church will use Eventbrite and social media to allow parishioners to “reserve” a spot at a specific Mass.
The church will offer one Saturday and three Sunday services. Classes, events and gatherings will not resume until late August. More details about other services can be found at stmarksboise.org.
Maintain child vaccination schedules
Saint Alphonsus Health System urged parents on Wednesday to maintain their children’s vaccination schedules, even during the pandemic.
Dr. Naya Antink, pediatric medical director for Saint Alphonsus Medical Group, said in a press release that even with the current COVID-19 stay-at-home orders, the risk of delaying immunizations for preventable childhood diseases is greater than the fear of catching the coronavirus by visiting the doctor.
“The risk to children from preventable diseases like measles and pertussis is important to remember at this time of crisis,” said Antink. “While we don’t know everything about the novel coronavirus, we believe it is usually less severe in children. Most children may even become infected and show no symptoms, and recover from the virus without complications. However, certain vaccine-preventable diseases like pertussis and Haemophilus influenzae can lead to serious complications and death in susceptible children.”
Saint Al’s reported that its clinics have taken measures to minimize exposure of sick people to their healthy patients.
Visitors and patients are screened before entering the clinics; there are separate areas and times of the day set aside for well-child visits and sick visits; and patients with symptoms concerning for COVID-19 are directed to specific COVID-19 testing tents.
This story was originally published April 29, 2020 at 9:24 AM.
