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Month: December 2020

Lyme and COVID

December 29, 2020

If you are a Lyme patient or know someone who has Lyme or another tick-borne illness, you may be wondering what you need to know about COVID-19 in light of Lyme-related health concerns. Below, read a roundup of the latest news on the intersection between the novel coronavirus and Lyme disease.

Lyme can be a risk factor for COVID complications

Lyme and other tick-borne diseases can compromise the immune system, making it harder to fight off illnesses like COVID-19. Additionally, a compromised immune system may make it more likely that a COVID infection will have more severe symptoms and/or require hospitalization.

Patients with untreated, undertreated, and/or chronic Lyme may be at higher risk and should take extra care to follow the latest COVID safety precautions.

COVID-19 pandemic indirectly affecting Lyme diagnoses

A recent study observed the indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the timely diagnosis of Lyme and other tick-borne diseases.

The study found that certain effects of COVID on healthcare delivery – including increased telehealth appointments, reduced office visits, and in some cases the requirement of negative COVID test results before the performance of other tests, surgeries, and procedures – resulted in a delayed diagnosis of a tick-borne disease in at least three adult patients. One patient whose erythema migrans rash was missed during a telehealth appointment went on to develop severe cardiac Lyme requiring hospitalization.

These results are worrisome considering the risks of a delayed or missed diagnosis of a tick-borne illness. Untreated Lyme can affect the heart, brain, and other body systems, and become a chronic condition.

If you believe you’re at risk for Lyme or are currently being treated for Lyme or another tick-borne illness, it’s important that you keep up with your medical appointments and communicate clearly with your health team.

Symptoms: Is it Lyme or COVID?

We’re currently in the midst of flu season and the COVID pandemic. And while peak tick season is summer, people can get tick-borne diseases any time of year. So if you develop flu-like symptoms, how do you know what you have?

Lyme and COVID are different kinds of diseases

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that can be treated with antibiotics but for which there is currently no vaccine for humans. COVID-19 is a virus for which a vaccine is finally on the horizon, but there is currently no cure. Additionally, Lyme and other tick-borne diseases spread from ticks to people, not from people to people as does the novel coronavirus.

However, there may be some similarities in symptoms of Lyme, other tick-borne diseases, and COVID-19.

Lyme and COVID can share some symptoms

Symptoms of both Lyme and COVID-19 can vary widely from person to person. However, some symptoms that can show up in both multiple stages of Lyme disease and COVID-19 are:

  • Fatigue
  • Fever or chills
  • Shortness of breath
  • Joint and muscle aches
  • Sore throat
  • Headache

Additionally, since COVID-19 is still such a new illness, people are reporting new and unusual symptoms every day, including skin problems, discoloration, and rashes that may be confused with rashes caused by tick-borne diseases.

ILADS Conference on Lyme and COVID

The International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS) recently held a conference on the intersection of the novel coronavirus and Lyme disease. The conference highlighted, among other issues, the “one health” framework, examining how interactions between humans, other species, and the planetary environment contribute to the spread, study, and treatment of infectious diseases like Lyme and COVID-19.

Testing with IGeneX

IGeneX is at the forefront of tick-borne disease testing. In addition to testing for Lyme and other tick-borne illnesses, we also offer COVID-19 testing (both active infection and antibody tests). Learn more today.

IGeneX Tests its 2000th Airline Traveler for COVID-19

December 17, 2020

IGeneX has just tested its 2000th airline traveler for COVID-19. We started offering drive thru testing for airline travelers in October, when various states and countries put policies in place requiring visitors to be tested. Most destinations require that visitors provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test taken no more than 72 hours before arrival. Some countries are even more strict: China requires that both an RT-PCR and IgM antibody test be taken within 48 hours before boarding. Regardless of whether it’s two or three days, finding a test that can be completed in that short of a time frame can be challenging.

Read more about the big milestone here.

COVID-19: Testing of Asymptomatic People

December 4, 2020

As of September, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have changed their position on COVID-19 testing for asymptomatic people. Though their recommendations still prioritize people with symptoms, the CDC now explicitly includes people who have had close contact with someone with a confirmed case of COVID-19, regardless of whether they themselves have symptoms.

The CDC now recommends testing for the following groups:

  • People with active symptoms of COVID-19
  • People who have had close contact (within 6 feet of an infected person for a total of 15 minutes or more) with an infected person
  • People who have been asked to get testing by their healthcare provider, local, or state health department

It’s not clear why the CDC made the change, but it may be due in part to higher availability of testing supplies in many parts of the country.

Read the full CDC recommendation on testing for COVID-19.

The Benefits of COVID-19 Testing for Asymptomatic People

For a long time, many health organizations discouraged asymptomatic people from seeking testing in order to prioritize symptomatic people and frontline workers. But wider testing of asymptomatic people in addition to symptomatic people gives us more accurate data about community spread and helps with contact tracing.

Asymptomatic COVID-19 Testing Quick Facts

  • Not all cases that seem asymptomatic remain that way. You can start without symptoms and develop symptoms later, even after getting negative test results. This is known as being pre-symptomatic. It can take several days for enough of the virus to accumulate in your system to show up on a test.
  • Many don’t notice “hidden symptoms.” Some people may be unaware that they are actually symptomatic, especially if their symptoms are mild.
  • 1 in 5 cases will remain asymptomatic. When controlling for cases that are not symptomatic at the time of diagnosis but become symptomatic later, several studies estimate that about 20% of COVID-19 cases are truly asymptomatic.
  • Asymptomatic people are still contagious. People without symptoms can and do spread COVID-19, which is why the testing of asymptomatic people can be so helpful for data and contact tracing. Some experts believe that asymptomatic people may not spread the virus as efficiently as those with symptoms, but there is disagreement over this theory.

The Type of Test Matters

There are several distinct types of tests for active COVID-19 detection. Traditional PCR and RT-PCR are currently the most reliable for detecting active infection, and can be used on asymptomatic people.

Another option is an antigen test, sometimes called a “rapid test.” While results can be obtained much faster than from PCR tests – in as few as 15 minutes, compared to days for PCR – these tests are much less accurate. Some data suggests that rapid tests can have a false negative rate as high as 50%. In fact, it has been suggested that the White House outbreak in early October was caused partly by a reliance on rapid tests that were designed to be used only “within the first seven days of the onset of symptoms.” In other words, the tests were not designed for asymptomatic people.

If you do not have symptoms but have had close contact with an infected person, it’s important that you get a PCR test, the most accurate type of test, ideally 5-9 days after your last contact.

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