The number of COVID-19 cases in Bucks County are “underreported,” according to Bucks County’s top public health official.
As of Friday afternoon, Bucks County had 144 confirmed COVID-19 cases. About 10 people have recovered from the virus and 10 patients were in the hospital with six people in serious condition and four in critical condition.
“What is extremely important to note is that of the 144 cases, most of the people we talk to have family, friends, household contacts that are sick with many of the same symptoms,” said Dr. David Damsker, the director of the Bucks County Department of Health. “I want to make it very clear that there are a lot more than just the 144 cases in Bucks County. One hundred forty-four is just the number of people that have been confirmed from testing, but we have more than that in Bucks County.”
For nearly every positive case county officials get, there is someone in contact with the patient who has similar symptoms but has not been tested, Damsker said.
In Bucks County, testing for COVID-19 has not been for everyone who is ill. Several residents have told LevittownNow.com they have had mild suspected COVID-19 cases and their medical professional declined to write a prescription to get them tested unless their conditions worsened. In addition, due to the backlog at labs, testing results have been delayed multiple days, a fact Damsker confirmed.
“If you’re at home and you’re doing well and having mild, manageable symptoms, the doctors are correct – whether you have coronavirus or something else – there’s no need to rush out and get tested because we’re all quarantined at home,” he said, noting people with essential jobs need testing before going to work.
“No one has unlimited testing at this point,” he said.
Another concern is that testing of patients with mild symptoms and no underlying issues could put further strain on the health care system.
Damsker said sleeping a lot, staying hydrated, and following “common sense” doctors usually provide when dealing with an illness are good steps for recovery for most people with COVID-19.
With America leading the world in number of reported COVID-19 cases, there have been questions about whether the federal government’s response was swift enough and why testing was slow to roll out across the nation.
As the COVID-19 outbreak spread, testing has grown from only being available locally at state and federal level to being provided through private labs and medical centers.
Damsker advised the public that a fever or respiratory problems are not always the first COVID-19 symptoms that appear. He said fatigue, body aches, and chemosensory impacts, like a diminished sense of smell and taste, are symptoms that can appear first.
Word of chemosensory issues have appeared across the world recently as a potential symptom of COVID-19.
Anecdotal evidence from the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery indicates the temporary loss of smell and taste have been symptoms in COVID-19 patients, including those who have had no other known symptoms but tested positive for COVID-19.
In Italy, a group of doctors noted 20 of 59 COVID-19 patients (ages 50 to 74) reported a smell or taste loss, according to a paper published by the Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America this week.
Damsker confirmed that between 80 percent to 90 percent of Bucks County’s COVID-19 cases have reported chemosensory issues, including noticing a metallic taste in their mouth.
“This is becoming more and more common,” he said, adding officials weren’t asking about the symptom until recently.
Center for Smell and Taste Director Steven Munger and University of Florida Health Smell Disorders Program Associate Professor Jeb Justice both said this week that more research needs to be done.
“More research is needed to understand this link, but it may provide a low-cost, practical indicator of which people should self-isolate or get further testing, depending on the symptom severity and testing availability,” they said.
In also addressing the public, Damsker said that if social distancing is being practiced, the number of new COVID-19 cases in the county should begin to drop over the next week.
