COVID PLEASE TRY HARDER

This is Dr. H.N. James writing in Vancouver Canada. As a practicing physician, I am concerned about the lack of COVID-19 testing in British Columbia. I am engaging with my fellow British Columbians, both within and outside the medical field, to advocate for an expansion of COVID-19 testing.

Why? Because widespread COVID-19 testing is a critical component of effective pandemic health management. I am writing to you to ask you to reconsider your current limited testing policy in light of clear medical evidence that widespread COVID-19 testing is a more effective way to manage the pandemic.

As we know, COVID-19 may be spread significantly by asymptomatic carriers. 

To properly assess the threat of COVID-19 and curb transmission moving forward, B.C needs to increase testing for COVID-19 by testing asymptomatic people, especially those that are in contact with a confirmed case, returning travelers, in schools, in long term care facilities, or other healthcare settings, and certainly prior to surgery. 

British Columbia has one of the lowest COVID-19 testing rates per capita with 32,000 per 1 million population compared to national testing rates of 94,000 per 1 million. Despite labs having the capacity to complete around 6,500 tests daily with 82 collection sites, the tests in B.C range from 1,500 to 2,500 as only symptomatic people are being tested. According to the BC CDC, as of now, COVID-19 testing is not recommended for asymptomatic individuals. 

There is increasing evidence to show that symptom-based testing alone is not enough to properly identify COVID-19 cases.  This was recently demonstrated in a large John Hopkins School of Medicine study.

As we begin to open up the economy, it is very important to consider increasing COVID-19 testing regardless if people show symptoms or not. 

By ignoring potential asymptomatic cases, there is no way to properly identify the threat of COVID-19. It is imperative for B.C to increase testing per capita and allow asymptomatic individuals to get tested. 

We are already beginning COVID rebound. This is not just due to the lack of testing, but also due to opening up our economy too soon, the lack of enforced quarantines where necessary, and allowing large public gatherings. We need to please try harder.

Yours truly,

H. N. James, MD

HNJ/ll