Trump’s coronavirus diagnosis causes an uptick in SC testing, hospital official says

Prisma Health experienced a significant increase in people seeking COVID-19 tests and information about the virus Monday, days after President Trump was hospitalized and other members of his staff tested positive.

Dr. Saria Saccicio, ambulatory chief medical officer at Prisma Health Greenville, said nurse triage calls and online requeststo schedule coronavirus tests poured in beginning first thing in the morning.

She observed a longer than usual line for testing at Greenville Memorial Hospital on Monday.

“People are symptomatic, and there is a heightened awareness of COVID-19 after the superspreader event,” she said, referring to a White House event attended last week by numerous people who have since tested positive for the coronavirus.

The Rose Garden gathering in honor of the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett on Sept. 26 is being identified as the location where various people were infected. Among those who have tested positive for COVID-19 are first lady Melania Trump, former Trump aide Kellyanne Conway, spokesperson Kayleigh McEnany, senators Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Mike Lee of Utah, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. Various members of the White House staff have also tested positive.

Saccicio said many people who feel fatigued or who have a cough or sore throat have blamed allergies or colds but now feel out of caution they need to get a COVID-19 test. They’re right to do so, she said.

“The best recommendation is to be tested,” she said. “Thanks to President Trump, there is an increased awareness that COVID-19 is still with us.”

Also, she said many more people are getting flu vaccines compared to last year. Across the Prisma Health system, 43,000 people have been vaccinated so far, which is twice as many as last year at this time.

Saccicio said it would be catastrophic to be infected with COVID-19 and the flu at the same time and encouraged people to get vaccinated early. If a person tests positive for COVID-19, she said, they cannot have a flu shot for 20 days.

“You do not want two respiratory infections at the same time,” she said.

The flu typically arrives in force in January in South Carolina but begins showing up in October.

Prisma Health is offering free drive-through flu vaccinations and COVID tests. Information on COVID-19 testing and for flu vaccines is available online at www.prismahealth.org.

This story was originally published October 5, 2020 at 3:30 PM.