Physician-in-Chief's Message
May 8, 2020
Dear Colleagues,

I hope all of you are doing well as we enter into phase 1 reopening. As you have seen, the hospital is busier and surgeries are beginning to ramp up. Today, we have 27 adult patients in-house with COVID. 

A special thank you to our nurses during nurses week!  We certainly have incredible nurses in Children’s!  
UNC COVID Updates
Inpatient Care
Your COVID-19 Questions & Answers
Response from Tom Belhorn

Q: I know the COVID serology tests have been mentioned before and are now available at UNC. Can anyone order this test? Are these tests accurate? Do these tests have any role in diagnosis?
 
A: There are currently >100 different COVID serologic assays being marketed in the US. Many are inaccurate. UNC lab personnel tested several assays following FDA guidance, and chose the Abbott COVID-19 IgG test that now has EUA (Emergency Use Authorization). In testing UNC samples (including COVID-positive sera and patient sera from non-COVID-19 coronaviruses), no cross-reactivity was detected (with endemic coronaviruses) with this test. The experience so far reveals an excellent specificity, but no test is 100%. Even with a test with high sensitivity and specificity, if the seroprevalence is low (as is likely the case in NC), the positive predictive value is not that high (i.e., you can have quite a few false positives!). Currently you can order this test on any patient. Just take care how you interpret results. IgG often becomes positive more than a week into the illness and this is variable. And as stated before, with information available now, a positive COVID-19 IgG does not confirm immunity and does not mean you are virus-free (non-infectious). The antibody testing is most helpful now in providing information on epidemiology. With further data, though, results will likely be useful for providing patient-specific diagnostic information with greater certainty.   
National Nurse Appreciation Week
Check out a little history of this celebration in our This Week in Pediatrics newsletter.

This is the sidewalk at the UNC Children's Specialty Clinic in Raleigh.
A sweet and creative thank you from the family of our Nurse Manager, Will Kanipe.
Every year, May 6 through May 12 is National Nurse Appreciation Week. For many reasons, this year is special, including that the World Health Organization designated 2020 as “The Year of the Nurse.”

This year, more than ever before, it is important celebrate the important contribution nurses make in all of our lives, both personally and professionally. Though 2020 has become something of an anomaly due to the pandemic, it is important that we find ways to celebrate.

We are so grateful for the nurses who play a critical role in our own health and in the care of our patients. All nurses throughout UNC should take great pride in what they do!
WE ALL THANK YOU!
I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend. To all the Mothers, Happy Mother’s Day!

Gratefully,
919-417-3130 (cell)