A study showed that deferred care led to a decrease in 1 hospital's Hepatitis C (HCV) testing by 50%,16 and a reduction in new HCV diagnoses by more than 60%.16 As symptoms can be slow to manifest, many patients are unaware they have the disease—reinforcing the importance of laboratory testing to obtain an accurate diagnosis and initiate treatment before the disease progresses.
For patients recovering from a SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) infection, some conditions to consider monitoring for include autoimmune, respiratory/secondary infections, and tuberculosis.
As patients post–SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) infection commonly report varying stages of fatigue and muscle weakness,17 detecting inflammation of the muscles and identifying the cause can help inform appropriate treatment plans.
People who are ill with tuberculosis (TB) and other respiratory infectious diseases, such as SARS-CoV-2, influenza A/B, and RSV, often present with overlapping symptoms.
Throughout the year, there are high incidences of influenza-like respiratory issues like allergies and asthma across the country, according to the CDC.18,19 Asthma patients might be at an increased risk from COVID-19.20 Quest continues to offer influenza, RSV, and allergy testing, including influenza A/B + RSV to differentially diagnose influenza A/B and RSV, as well as ImmunoCAP® to diagnose respiratory allergies.
While experience with SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) infection in tuberculosis (TB) patients remains limited, it is anticipated that people ill with both TB and COVID-19 may have poorer treatment outcomes, especially if the TB treatment is interrupted.21 Quest offers convenient screening via TB blood testing, providing results after just 1 patient encounter.