COVID-19 Archives

Tower Health reinstates face masks due to COVID-19 uptick

Reading Hospital, Tower Health Urgent Care facilities and Tower Health Medical Group outpatient offices will once again require face masks.

Tower Health said Monday the policy, effective immediately, will require all employees, medical staff, patients and visitors to wear masks to help protect the community during this time of rising COVID-19 infections.

“This decision is the culmination of a careful review of various factors, most notably the increase in COVID-19 infections among our patients, employees, and the community at large. Patient and staff safety is our top priority, and this important step will help mitigate the spread of the virus,” Tower Health said in a statement.

“All visitors to our facilities will be provided a complimentary mask upon arrival. Ensuring the safety and well-being of everyone within our health care settings is paramount, and we will remain vigilant, continuously assessing the situation. Adjustments to the masking policy will be made as deemed necessary, in alignment with the latest health guidelines and data,” Tower Health said.

“We sincerely thank everyone for their cooperation and understanding as we navigate this situation together, prioritizing the health and safety of our community above all.”

Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN), which said it is monitoring the situation, said face masks are still optional in most of its hospitals and facilities.

“Anyone with a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis must wear a mask and may enter only if seeking care for a severe illness or life-threatening condition,” LVHN said.

That policy also applies to anyone with respiratory viral symptoms and transplant donors and recipients.

The CDC recommends everyone 6 months and older get an updated COVID-19 vaccine to protect against the potentially serious outcomes of COVID-19 illness this fall and winter, LVHN said. Like the recent COVID vaccines, the current vaccine is intended to reduce the risk of severe disease, hospitalization and death following infection with COVID.

LVHN added that its transitional skilled unit (TSU) at Lehigh Valley Hospital-17th Street must follow the rules and regulations established by the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Therefore, masking requirements will be clearly indicated on stie and will be dependent upon the presence of active COVID-19 cases on the unit, LVHN said.

St. Luke’s University Health network did not respond to a request for an updated policy. There is no change in policy listed on its website.

Report calls for disability community involvement in solving health disparities

A new report recommending the disability community’s involvement in solving health disparities has been released by the Arc of Pennsylvania.

Facilitated for the COVID-19 Health Disparities Task Force, the report includes contributions from people with lived experience of a disability, caretakers, and family members of those with a disability, and professionals in support fields. It recommends 10 core solutions for Pennsylvania’s Department of Health, including involving people with disabilities, their families and caregivers in policy making and healthcare decisions.

“Let’s be clear: This isn’t just a COVID issue,” Sherri Landis, executive director of The Arc of Pennsylvania, said in a statement. “These barriers existed long before COVID. The pandemic just shined a light on them. The solutions report goes far beyond COVID to address disparities that have existed for far too long.”

COVID-19 health care barriers among people with disabilities, their families, and caregivers were identified in an August 2022 report from the Task Force and The Arc. The report identified the effects the COVID-19 emergency response had on the disability community.

The Arc convened regional workgroups to ask members of the disability community about solutions to address those barriers in the future. It noted that health decisions for people with disabilities are made without their insight and involvement, despite the community being among the country’s largest groups experiencing health disparities.

The task force’s latest report, “Recommendations for Addressing COVID-19 Health Disparities Among the Disability Community,” concluded a multi-year effort funded with a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Health through the CDC’s National Initiative to Address COVID-19 Health Disparities Among Populations at High-Risk and Underserved.

Contributors to the report included people with lived experience of a disability, caretakers, and family members of those with a disability, and professionals in support fields. Individuals with diverse types of disabilities, including physical, intellectual, developmental, and behavioral, as well as emotional, sensory impairment, and complex medical disabilities, were among the contributors.

Hundreds of individuals from diverse racial, ethnic, and rural populations participated in the initiative through regional and local interviews, surveys, meetings, and listening tours that served as focus groups to identify the barriers, core solutions, and recommendations.

The recommended core solutions specific to the Pennsylvania Department of Health were:

Involve people with disabilities, their families, and caregivers in policy making and healthcare decisions.

Reactivate the Governor’s Cabinet and Advisory Committee for People with Disabilities.
Keep helpful policy changes from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Expand community-based healthcare, including telehealth services and mobile clinics.
Include disability representatives in the Office of Health Equity Advisory Committee.
Provide disability-specific training for healthcare professionals.

Designate people with disabilities as a Medically Underserved Populations.
Collect standardized data on the health needs of people with disabilities.
Provide information in multiple languages, easy-to-understand and easy to access formats.
Remove disability as a factor in healthcare decision making during emergencies.

“The disability community faces complex and nuanced health barriers,” said Landis. “The first step to addressing these issues is for policymakers to listen to individuals with lived experience. Without their insights, health disparities will continue to plague the disability community.”

Lehigh Valley Health Network makes face masks optional

Lehigh Valley Health Network has made face masks optional in all of its hospitals and health care facilities as of today.

Masks continue to be optional in non-patient care areas such as cafeterias, pharmacies, chapels and gift shops.
“For several weeks, COVID-19 cases have trended downward in the communities LVHN serves, which makes this change appropriate given the current conditions,” said Dr. Alex Benjamin, chief infection control and prevention officer, LVHN. “We will continue to monitor the number of COVID-19 cases in our community and adjust our masking policy accordingly if cases increase to protect our patients, visitors and colleagues.”
Masks will still be required for anyone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis; anyone with respiratory viral symptoms, transplant donors and recipients; patients and visitors in Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute locations, patients receiving infusion therapy, NICU visitors; and inpatient psychiatric units, LVHN said.

Anyone with a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 case should not be visiting LVHN sites.

LVHN’s transitional skilled unit (TSU) at Lehigh Valley Hospital (LVH)–17th Street must follow the rules and regulations established by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Therefore, masking requirements will be clearly indicated on site and will be dependent upon the presence of active COVID-19 cases on the unit.

“In these circumstances and locations, masking continues to be important because it provides an extra layer of protection from COVID–19 for our most vulnerable patients,” Benjamin said. “People who are immunocompromised or at high risk for complications from COVID-19 are always strongly encouraged to wear a mask in public.”
Benjamin said LVHN continues to urge everyone to be up to date on their COVID-19 vaccinations, meaning a person who received their primary COVID-19 vaccination series and any recommended boosters.

PA Main Street Program helped COVID-19 recovery

PA Main Street Program helped downtown businesses weather the pandemic like this parklet dining area in Downtown Easton. PHOTO/SUBMITTED

PA Main Street Program helped downtown communities recover from the pandemic, according to a study by the Pennsylvania Downtown Center (PDC), in partnership with Jon Stover & Associates (JS&A).

The study was part of PDC’s ongoing mission to support Main Street and Elm Street programs throughout the state.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted local economies and the day-to-day lives of people in communities across the country and world. Businesses of all sizes and in all types of communities were forced to adjust their operations in response to changing regulations, consumer preferences, and safety measures starting with the onset of the pandemic in early 2020.

Immediately after the pandemic’s onset, Main Streets across the state mobilized and began helping their local businesses respond to these new challenges, roadblocks, and unprecedented changes in the economy, PDC said.

JS&A’s analysis, conducted in July 2022, found that with the support of these programmatic efforts, customer traffic quickly bounced back, and downtown consumer spending surpassed pre-pandemic levels for most of 2021 and throughout 2022.

“In short, it was clear to us that the PA Main Street Program played a major role in the economic resiliency and recovery of downtown communities throughout the pandemic,” said Jon Stover, managing partner of JS&A. “Main Streets provided a local conduit for national, state, and local resources and administered a range of technical and financial support services that help explain how most of these communities recovered relatively quickly despite the pandemic’s long and devastating impacts.”

The critical on-the-ground support that PA’s Main Streets provided enabled thousands of businesses to adjust and sustain their operations, the study showed. Providing direct financial resources, support in applying to grants and loans, and disseminating health and policy updates all worked to support the operations of local businesses.

Main Street programs also effectively attracted customers to downtown business by leveraging social media, incentivizing ways to shop local during the pandemic, and creatively programming public spaces and hosting outdoor events to boost nearby business sales, the study showed.

Even as local economies began to stabilize, elevated levels of local customer support continued throughout 2020, 2021 and into 2022, and has remained a lifeblood for Main Street businesses, pointing to the strong customer bases that these programs nurture in their communities, PDC said.

“To say that the last few years have been challenging for Pennsylvania’s downtowns and neighborhood business districts is an understatement, however this study speaks to the resiliency and dedication of PA’s Main Street Programs,” said Julie Fitzpatrick, executive director, Pennsylvania Downtown Center. “We saw first-hand the social and economic impact of the local nonprofits’ assistance, and the power of residents shifting their spending to support these local businesses as we’re all adapting to this ever-changing market.”

The project was financed in part by a state Department of Community and Economic Development Keystone Communities planning grant.

Lehigh Valley Health Network team nursing model lands nurses on center stage

Nichole Persing and Diana Nguyen presented the team nursing model to the American Nurses Credentialing Center National Magnet Conference Oct. 13 – PHOTO/PROVIDED

Two Lehigh Valley Health Network nurses showcased the network’s innovative approach to patient care during the pandemic at a conference in Philadelphia.

Nichole Persing and Diana Nguyen presented the team nursing model the network implemented to handle the pandemic case load to the Amercian Nurses Credentialing Center National Magnet Conference Oct. 13, an opportunity they said was an honor.

“Presenting at the Magnet Conference was a career highlight, especially sharing center stage with Diana, who has a very bright future,” Persing said.

Persing, who is a nurse leader at Lehigh Valley Hospital and for the LVHN, said the model is not new, but one that hasn’t been used for quite some time.

When COVID-19 hit, the nursing staff quickly became overwhelmed, she said, and changes had to be made to care for the number of patients needing critical care.

By the second surge in cases, Persing said the hospital had to open 12 beds for intensive care in a progressive care unit.

“Normally, one nurse cares for a patient,” she said. But during the surge, the hospital was faced with not only an increased patient load but a shortage of nurses, “so we had to work together to care for everyone.”

LVHN created the team nursing model which put together experienced registered nurses (RN), new registered nurses and eventually, licensed practical nurses (LPN).

Persing said the team could then care for more patients without giving up quality of care.

Nguyen, 24, who was just out of nursing school when the pandemic hit, said it was beneficial to her to have an experienced nurse to turn to, especially when faced with a terrified patient.

The model changed the workload, said Nguyen, who works at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Hecktown Oaks. “With the primary care model, one nurse took care of about five patients. With the team model, we had two nurses caring for up to eight patients during the peak of COVID. Now we are down to six patients,” she said.

By working together, she said, there is always someone to help when needed. The RN, she said, is responsible for assessing the patient, administering medications, and communicating with physicians. The LPNs help with checking IVs, drawing blood and administering medications within the scope of their practice.

“Everyone helps with turning and positioning the patients,” she said, “which is helpful for the patient and the staff.”

The program has been implemented across the health network. Persing said the program was assessed daily to see what worked. “It took open-mindedness,” she said. “We take any positive criticism for the model which remains fluid. Communication is the backbone of the model.”

As a new nurse facing a pandemic, Nguyen said after orientation, she had someone to turn to guiding her through critical care decisions. “It was a hard two years. It was stressful, but the team model allowed me to succeed,” she said

“This has changed nursing and made me a better nurse,” Nguyen said. “It has made me a better learner and given me confidence,” she said adding she learned in two years what it would have taken her eight years pre-pandemic. “There is always a silver lining in a crisis.”

Persing and Nguyen were both new to their roles when COVID hit. Persing, who had 18 years in nursing and critical care, had just taken on a leadership role. “This elevated me as a nurse and a leader,” she said. “I’m proud to see crisis intervention turn into something great.”

“This supports the future of our nurses and allows them to want to continue to be nurses,” Persing said. “It’s supportive of our nurses, our patients and our community.”

OSHA still vigilant over workplace COVID-19 safety

The height of the concern over the COVID-19 virus may have passed, but that doesn’t mean employers shouldn’t still be concerned about their obligation to maintain a healthy environment at work.

Mandates imposed by the Biden administration were later overturned by the court, so now COVID-19 prevention practices are considered recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control versus regulations.

But COVID-19 and other virus protections in the workplace are still covered under the Occupational Safety & Health Administration’s Genral Duty Clause, and Tom Barnowski, director of corporate and public safety education at Northampton Community College said that should keep employers alert to the situation.

“Employers can still be cited if an obvious risk is present and they do nothing to prevent it,” said Barnowski.

That means that employers still need to be wary of basic virus precautions to make sure there aren’t outbreaks of COVID-19 or other contagious viruses at a worksite that could have been prevented with proper precautions.

He noted that OSHA fines under the General Duty Clause can be up to $14,500 for a single serious violation to more than $145,000 for repeated willful violations.

But, Barnowski said, it’s not just about the money.

“OSHA doesn’t want your money. OSHA wants your attention,” he said.

Like a speeding ticket, those fines are a warning to those who might violate safety rules that there are consequences.

While there are still specific OSHA regulations with regard to personal protective equipment, reporting and record keeping, the best thing a company’s human resources department can do is stay on top of the latest COVID-19 information from the CDC.

“Every employer should stay on top of CDC guidelines because it changes all the time,’ he said. “Companies should offer the latest most relevant information. Be aware of COVID-19 because it is still with us and there are always new pharmaceuticals coming onto market to be aware of.”

He said that while COVID-19 isn’t in the news as much as it was at its peak, OSHA is still taking the virus seriously and has pledged to increase its COVID inspection goal to 10% as the agency works to finalize a permanent coronavirus healthcare standard.

According to OSHA, they have issued 1,200 coronavirus-related citations to employers and to date assessed current penalties totaling $7.2 million dollars.

NCC to host training for OSHA COVID-19 compliance

The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) has pledged to increase its COVID inspection goal to 10% as the agency works to finalize a permanent coronavirus healthcare standard. According to OSHA, they have “issued 1,200 coronavirus-related citations to employers and to date assessed current penalties totaling $7.2 million dollars.”

To assist healthcare workers and employers to remain safe and compliant, Northampton Community College is pleased to provide free webinars for healthcare workers and employers as a result of obtaining a Susan Harwood training grant. The program includes personal protective equipment (PPE), hazard assessment and information about what OSHA’s Mini Respiratory Protection Program (“mini RPP”) is and why it is necessary. Training may also satisfy some of the COVID-19 training requirements required by OSHA.

The free training will be held virtually over Zoom on October 26 at the following times:

12 p.m. – 4 p.m.: COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) for Healthcare Employers
9 a.m. – 11 a.m. or 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.: COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) for Healthcare Workers

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) professionals successfully completing a course will be eligible for continuing education hours.

To register, visit www.northampton.edu/HealthcareETS.

OraSure cuts ribbon on COVID-19 test manufacturing facility

Local officials gather to cut the ribbon at Opus Way, OraSure Technologies new COVID-19 rabid test manufacturing facility. PHOTO/SUBMITTED –

OraSure Technologies has officially cut the ribbon on Opus Way, its new expanded facility in Bethlehem Township, which was constructed with the help of $109 million from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) to ramp up production of InteliSwab COVID-19 rapid tests as part of the nation’s pandemic preparedness plan.

“We have built the capacity to manufacture almost as many tests in a single week as we used to produce in an entire year … and we will continue to ramp production as we bring this new facility fully online,” said Carrie Eglinton Manner, president and CEO of OraSure Technologies.

She called Opus Way a team effort – both within the organization and through OraSure’s partnerships with the federal and state government.

“It is because of this collaboration that we are here together today for our official ribbon-cutting ceremony,” she said.

OraSure was awarded a total of three contracts from the federal government last year to help develop, produce and distribute the COVID-19 test. Those included $205 million for InteliSwab COVID-19 Rapid Test procurement, $109 million for InteliSwab manufacturing capacity build out, and $13.6 million to pursue full FDA 510(k) clearance for InteliSwab.

“These contracts position OraSure as an important part of the government’s global pandemic response,” said Lisa Nibauer, OraSure’s president of Diagnostics. “The U.S. government’s selection of OraSure’s InteliSwab rapid test for their national pandemic preparedness effort is a great honor.”

Allentown pharma firm hopes to soon have oral vaccine to market

Kyle Flanigan of U.S. Specialty Formulations, right, poses with Garry Morefield of VaxForm at the Ben Franklin Tech Ventures in Bethlehem. PHOTO/FILE –

With Phase 1 testing now complete and showing positive results, U.S. Specialty Formulations of Allentown is moving forward with the oral COVID-19 vaccine that it is producing.

The company is working with VaxForm of Bethlehem, to bring a vaccine to market that company leaders believe will be easier to tolerate and more effective than the current injection vaccines on the market.

Kyle Flanigan, founder, CEO and president of U.S. Specialty Formulations said his company is now looking to attract venture capitalists to help fund Phase 2 and Phase 3 trials, which he will be conducting while attempting to get Emergency Use Authorization from the U.S. government, as well as other governments around the globe.

“It is in our best interest to make sure other countries have vaccines too, so they don’t bring that disease here,” he said.

He is looking for between $5 million and $15 million in funding depending on what the regulatory bodies want to see in the next level of testing.

He said, so far, much of the federal funding for vaccine research has gone to the “Big Five” pharmaceutical companies, like Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

That’s leaving smaller developers looking for private funding.

But what they found in Phase 1, he said, is promising enough that he believes investors will be easy to attract.

“We’ve already generated the data that a venture capitalist would want to look at,” he said.

Phase 1 testing, which was conducted in New Zealand because of its relatively isolated population and high vaccine rate, showed the vaccine U.S. Specialty Formulations is developing could be a highly desirable addition to the vaccine options currently available.

“It’s been really exciting,” Flanigan said. “The vaccine we adapted for COVID-19 seems to perform better than some of the platforms that are already on the market.”

He said the testing showed his oral vaccine was about 43% more effective for subjects who took it compared to those who took other vaccines on the market.

Also, the oral vaccine has shown that it fights all three major variants of COVID-19, and Flanigan hopes to show that it can fight all variants of the disease.

“That’s the Holy Grail in this,” he said.

The oral vaccine is also showing that it is easier to tolerate than the injectable vaccines currently available on the market.

With no injection, Flanigan said it may attract those that were avoiding the vaccine to avoid the needle stick.

He also said it’s showing less general side effects, like muscle soreness.

One of the biggest benefits, he said, is that the oral vaccine is proving to be extremely shelf stable and can tolerate high heat, which would make it easier to transport, store and deliver to hotter regions around the globe.

And because it can be taken orally, no health care professional is needed to provide the vaccine, which makes distribution to more remote regions much easier.

Flanigan said he hopes to receive Emergency Use Authorization to begin distribution of the vaccine while the second and third phase trials are underway. He said the fact that it has been proven to be safe will help his company’s case.

If things go well, he hopes to have the vaccine to market this fall.

Pandemic-related tax changes means many haven’t seen returns

It may be more than halfway through 2022, but accountants are steal dealing with the 2021 tax return season thanks to pandemic related changes and backlogs with the Internal Revenue Service.

Ruthann Woll –

Ruthann Woll, a tax partner and CPA with RKL LLP, said millions of people have still not received their rebate checks and some have not yet filed their return because of some of the reconciliations that needed to be done because of COVD relief stimulus from the federal government.

“We’re dealing with the reconciliation of the third recovery rebate payment of $1,400, which was made in January of 2022,” she said.

She said the new advanced child credit also needed to be reconciled on families’ tax returns.

Stephanie Kane, senior manager in RKL’s tax services group, said the same is true for many businesses.

Tax incentive programs due to Covid-19, such as PPP forgiveness and ERTC credits, impacted returns again this year. PPP forgiveness was tax free money, while ERTC credits actually increased taxable income for businesses. For that reason, Kane said careful planning is important for businesses filing their tax returns.

“Certain tax rules changed for 2019 and 2020 were reinstated for 2021,” said Kane. “Excess business loss limitations and interest expense limitations had been lifted to help with cash flow for Covid-19. They are now back in place.”

Stephanie Kane –

The need to address many of those reconciliations and tax changes caused many to file for deferment, to give them more time to work out the implications.

Woll said the IRS had 54 million tax returns filed by the original April deadline but expects around 160 million returns to be filed by October of this year.

Woll said those deferments have added to a number of other problems the IRS has been dealing with in handling the late and more complex returns, the IRS still hasn’t processed about 2 million returns that were expected to be refunds.

Part of the problem, she said, is that the IRS, like many employers, is dealing with a staffing shortage.

However, the IRS has been hiring more workers to help deal with the backlog.

But the IRS is also facing problems with the increase in fraudulent returns that began during the pandemic, a similar problem that the Department of Labor & Industry had with unemployment compensation claims.

“The last two years it’s been a really crazy environment to help the taxpayers through,” said Woll.

However, Kane said things should be a little easier heading into the 2022 tax season.

“Looking to the 2022 tax year a lot of the same things will impact our tax season coming up,” she said. “Practitioners should be working with clients on their quarterly estimates to make sure these items are being accounted for correctly and that there are no surprises for owners on these specific items. We don’t have significant tax overhaul concerns for 2022 at this point. Just making sure we are adjusting and taking into consideration the items we are aware of and their impact on taxes and cash flow.”

HNL Lab Medicine expanding diagnostic capabilities

Tissue embedded in paraffin for use in genome testing at HNL Lab Medicine – PHOTO/PROVIDED –

HNL Lab Medicine knows the future of medicine is in diagnostics and is ramping up its use of genetic testing to help doctors find the right tools to treat patients quickly.

In addition to pathology tests, the company has moved into genomics to help the most severe cancer patients find the right “cocktail” to treat their specific needs and is testing COVID samples to see what variants are showing up in the area.

Dr. Geetika Trivedi, clinical genomics scientist, HNL Lab Medicine – PHOTO/PROVIDED –

Geetika Trivedi, a clinical genomics scientist for HNL, said doctors have had access to genome testing, but in the past, had to send samples elsewhere to get results.

Now, they can send them to HNL, shortening the time it takes to determine the right course of treatment, which she said can save up to a week.

“For the most severe cases,” she said, “that can make the difference in a patient’s outcome.”

Trivedi said she and her team are working on bringing genomic testing and have tested for solid tumors. “Cancer is complex because it is directed by genetics. We look at the DNA signature – the genetic makeup of the tumor and can predict if the patient will respond to a certain treatment or not.”

If not, doctors can enroll patients in the proper clinical trials based on the information extracted from the DNA results extracted from the tumor samples, she said.

HNL began when the pathology services of Lehigh Valley Hospital Center and Allentown Hospital merged in 1985, leading to the creation of HealthEast Laboratories.

By 1998, the organization consolidated as Health Network Laboratories and became a for-profit limited partnership, with Lehigh Valley Health Network as its primary equity partner.

In 2020, the organization rebranded as HNL Lab Medicine.

Shortly after, HNL acquired a company called Connective Tissue Gene Tests (CTGT). “Our goal is to become a leader in this field, not just locally but nationally,” the company said.

Currently, HNL produces more than 60 million pathology results for more than three million patients a year, the company said.

With genetic testing, “we look at the human genome that drives the cancer,” she said. “We get a lot of information and can’t look at each mutation, so we use a computer program to break them down.”

Some mutations specific to a patient’s tumor type might have FDA approved therapy or NCCN guideline. This information can help doctors to determine the best treatment, she said. “Based on the information we get; doctors can determine the best treatment.”

All of this, she said, can be completed in two-to-three days, allowing treatment to start earlier. HNL is looking to move into Minimal Residual Disease (MRD) testing soon. MRD uses blood samples to diagnose and monitor how the patient is responding to treatment.

“This is more minimally invasive and extremely important for diagnosis,” she said. It can also be used to monitor patients during treatment, especially if testing is needed on a regular basis.

HNL works with Lehigh Valley Health Network and other clients with genetic testing and is looking to expanding into more facilities in the future. “We work with more than 30 hospitals for pathology,” said Leanne Aquino, spokesperson for HNL.

“Our goal is to expand this to other hospitals,” Trivedi said. “It’s very exciting and we have an amazing team.”

HNL has also been doing genome sequencing for COVID-19 samples, she said. “We can find out what variant is here and report it to the state Department of Health. This is not being used for treatment purposes and is only used for making recommendations and updating guidelines”.

Trivedi said the testing not only finds trends but can find new variants as they emerge.

“We have seen trends since 2021 and have reported all the variants to the state,” she said. “Some variants are more transmissible than others and that helps the DOH make recommendations on travel restrictions, mask wearing and other issues.”

While other labs are doing diagnostics, “we are a major lab doing sequencing.”

HNL is monitoring for two new omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5 but hasn’t seen them in data yet. These have been seen in the U.S, she said.

In the past few weeks, Trivedi said there has been a 10-15% increase in Omicron cases, which were down to below 3%.

While it is spreading, HNL can alert the DOH and local medical facilities, who can then put proper protocols in place to protect the public.

“We have great tools to provide better care,” she said. “So, we will expand outside Lehigh Valley to offer a full menu of genetic testing.”

HNL operates in more than 60 locations and employs more than 1,100 people, including 35 pathologists. The company’s labs serve over 12,000 healthcare providers in communities as far away as Chambersburg and southern New Jersey.

OraSure COVID-19 test to be distributed to nation’s school children

OraSure’s InteliSwab PHOTO/SUBMITTED –

A COVID-19 test from OraSure Technologies Inc. of Bethlehem is going to be used in schools nationwide.

The company, which develops and manufactures point-of-care and home diagnostic testing and sample collection technologies, said that its InteliSwab COVID-19 Rapid Test has been selected by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to be distributed to schools across the country.

The HHS program provides school districts with at-home COVID-19 test kits to be sent home with students, teachers and staff to help keep the nation’s schools safe as the pandemic continues. Tests provided under this program will be funded as part of OraSure’s procurement contract from the Defense Logistics Agency.

“Keeping children in school is a top priority and our InteliSwab tests will help make that happen for students across the nation as they complete this school year, move through the summer and start back again in the fall,” said Lisa Nibauer, president of diagnostics for OraSure Technologies. “The InteliSwab® test is simple to use so anyone who uses it can be confident they performed the test correctly. In a pediatric specific study, 95% of parents indicated that swabbing the nose, and reading the results were easy.”

The overall accuracy of the InteliSwab test including the pediatric population is 93 percent, demonstrating comparable accuracy to that in adults.

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