HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021_6_23 AHuenke COVID responseFrom:Tom Locke
To:Annette Huenke
Cc:Vicki Kirkpatrick; Veronica K. Shaw; Liz Anderson
Subject:Re: request for clarification
Date:Thursday, June 24, 2021 4:40:13 PM
Attachments:420-339-VaccineBreakthroughReport.pdf
Ms. Huenke,
I am responding on behalf of the Board of Health.
As you likely know by this time, CT values are not routinely reported on PCR tests. High CT values on positive
tests can mean several different things -- poor specimen quality, low viral loads, variations in lab extraction and
reverse transcription of viral RNA, and other factors. When PCR is used to screen asymptomatic, low prevalence
populations, a high CT value can be a marker of a false positive test. This can especially be a problem with travel
testing. Repeat PCR testing is needed to evaluate potential false positive results.
There is a popular conspiracy theory that most PCR tests are high CT false positives. There is no credible evidence
to support this. Positive tests of symptomatic individuals and/or those who have known close contact with a person
infected with COVID-19 have a high probability of representing SARS-CoV-2 infection and not being a false
positive test. Most positive tests in Jefferson County are in symptomatic individuals and close contacts of known
cases. The diagnosis of COVID-19 is made based on all available clinical information, not just a single test result.
This is especially true for hospitalized patients. Since the risk of COVID complications strongly correlates with
other chronic health conditions, it is common for hospitalized patients with COVID infection to have other
coexisting health conditions. While we do detailed case investigations of all confirmed and probable cases, this
data is confidential and not publicly disclosable.
We do track and maintain information of "breakthrough" infections in fully vaccinated individuals. This
information is aggregated into periodic statewide reports. A copy of the most recent report is attached. To the best
of my knowledge, there have been at least 5 breakthrough cases documented in fully vaccinated Jefferson County
residents. The true number is almost certainly higher since most cases are either asymptomatic or have mild
symptoms. No vaccine is 100% effective and most of the efficacy data we have on the current vaccines was during
a time when less transmissible strains of the virus were circulating. The emergence of more contagious variants
(and in the case of the gamma variant (P.1), more virulent) will likely result in more breakthrough infections in
vaccine recipients or reinfections in those previously infected with other strains of SARS-CoV-2.
The COVID-19 pandemic is changing character in the United States and other areas of the world that have had the
opportunity to deploy the highly effective mRNA and viral vector vaccines. Increasingly, cases, hospitalizations,
and deaths will be confined to those who have chosen not to be vaccinated OR are not yet eligible for the vaccine
(children under 12 y/o), and those with immune impairment that renders the vaccines ineffective. Most of the
upcoming hospitalizations and deaths will have been preventable. It is a national tragedy that our deep political and
ideological divisions have compromised our ability, as a society, to respond optimally to this global health crisis.
Thomas Locke, MD, MPH
Jefferson County Health Officer
________________________________________
From: Annette Huenke <amh@olympus.net>
Sent: Wednesday, June 23, 2021 10:41 AM
To: Tom Locke; Board of Health
Subject: request for clarification
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Dr. Locke and BOH members:
The June 16 issue of the Leader contained claims that were missing information critical to consideration of the true
threat represented by these so-called covid ‘cases.’
• What were the cycle thresholds of the positive PCR tests?
• How many of the ‘cases’ were symptomatic?
• How many of the county’s 31 hospitalizations presented with something other than covid, then subsequently had a
‘positive’ test, and what cycle threshold was used for those determinations?
• How many of the new ‘cases’ have occurred in ‘appropriately vaccinated’ people?
The answers to these basic questions are known and undoubtedly documented.
I look forward to a point-by-point response to this email.
Annette Huenke
PT