The prevalence of COVID-19 among asymptomatic patients may be lower than some feared.

Dr. Donald Yealy, chairman of the UPMC emergency medicine department, said no asymptomatic patients have tested positive for the virus in Western Pennsylvania since the hospital network last week began testing patients who come in for scheduled procedures, regardless of whether they have symptoms.

Yealy added that the testing program would likely expand — although he did not give a specific timeline — to include patients who come in for any care. Eventually, he said, patients will be tested for COVID-19 antibodies.

Dr. Rachel Sackrowitz, UPMC ICU Service Center's chief medical officer, said only one patient out of about 500 tested across the hospital network's multi-state system tested positive for the virus under this program.

Yealy elaborated on the network's desire to add antibody testing, saying that many currently available tests are unreliable and “not much better than flipping a coin.” Expansion of testing will be done only when there is a proven reliable test, he said.

This is an excerpt from a larger article that will appear in Friday's Butler Eagle. Subscribe online or in print to read the full article.