New Study Finds Low Prevalence of COVID-19 Infection Among Community Oncology Care Providers

Fort Myers, Fla., Feb. 3, 2021 — Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute (FCS) senior executives are co-authors of a study that estimated the percentage of individuals employed in community oncology care settings who developed antibodies, known as seroprevalence, against COVID-19 during the initial months of the pandemic. The study, the largest of its kind to date, entitled “COVID-19 Antibody Testing in Community Oncology Practices Across the U.S.,” was published in the Winter 2020 edition of Oncologistics.

The voluntary COVID-19 antibody testing program of over 3,000 adults was developed to obtain a baseline seroprevalence in this specialized healthcare provider population. The study found that 1.05% of participants had developed antibodies against COVID-19 as the result of previous infection, concluding that patients are at low risk for acquiring the coronavirus while receiving care from community oncology providers.

FCS President & Managing Physician Dr. Lucio Gordan said, “The very low prevalence of infection and antibodies clearly demonstrates that FCS and other community oncology care providers have been able to maintain a safe environment for patients throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“These results are a testament to the early precautions and proactive education undertaken by FCS and our community oncology colleagues,” noted FCS Chief Executive Officer Nathan H. Walcker. “Our physicians and their clinical care teams recognize the need for extreme caution to protect patients and one another.”

Additional FCS co-authors are: Paul Chadwick, Chief Procurement Officer, Vicki Caraway, RN, BSN, MBA, NE-BC, Vice President of Clinical Services, and Claudia French, Vice President of Operational Excellence and Clinical Laboratory Services.

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Recognized by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) with a national Clinical Trials Participation Award, Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute (FCS) offers patients access to more clinical trials than any private oncology practice in Florida. Over the past 5 years, the majority of new cancer drugs approved for use in the U.S. were studied in clinical trials with Florida Cancer Specialists participation.* Trained in such prestigious medical schools and research institutes as Duke, Stanford, Harvard, Emory, MD Anderson, and Memorial Sloan Kettering, our physicians are consistently ranked nationally as Top Doctors by U.S. News & World Report.

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