The number of COVID-19 patients at The University of Kansas Health System is “inching up” today. 14 people with the active virus are being treated, up from 12 yesterday. Of those patients, three are in the ICU, down from four yesterday, but all three of those patients are on ventilators, up from two yesterday. 13 other patients are still hospitalized because of COVID-19 but are out of the acute infection phase, up from eight yesterday. That’s a total of 27 patients, up from 20 yesterday. HaysMed has four total patients, up from three yesterday. Three have the active virus and one is recovering.

            On today’s Morning Media Update, we answered community questions. Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical director of Infection Prevention and Control was joined by David Wild, MD, VP of Quality and Safety, sitting in for Dr. Stites. Joining them was Dr. Kevin Ault, one of our OBGYN physicians who also sits on the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices. He brought data and insight around the committee's recommendation to the CDC and FDA regarding the J&J vaccine.

            Dr. Ault began the discussion by describing the work the advisory committee is doing to examine the J & J vaccine. Its use was paused by the FDA after six people out of the seven million who have received it developed blood clots. He explained that the group, whose main job is to make clinical recommendations on how vaccines are used, has not drawn any conclusions while each of the six cases is rigorously investigated, but says they may have a development when the committee meets next Friday. He shared data showing the number of blood clots with this vaccine is similar to what would be expected in the general population.

Here are the media and community questions in the order the panel addressed them, followed by the short answer. Time code for the question is in parentheses. See the video for their full answers and comments.

• (12:45) What is the committee waiting to see and what will the timeline be? They are looking at all the data to see if the vaccine played a role in the blood clots. The committee will vote next Friday.
• (14:15) The Pfizer CEO said a booster of the vaccine will be likely. What are your thoughts? We’ve always believed some kind of booster will be necessary. While it’s not known right now how soon it will be needed, the expectation is we will get 9-12 months of protection from the current vaccines.
• (17:50) I got a flu shot in 2019 and then got the flu. Does that mean my COVID-19 shot won’t work? Flu shots, like COVID-19 shots, won’t give you the flu. Both are designed to make symptoms less severe, not prevent you from getting the disease.
• (21:15) What happened to the six women who developed blood clots after they got the vaccine? How were they treated and what were their outcomes? Blood clots are very serious, and there was one death. The standard treatment is with anticoagulants.
• (22:30) Is there evidence showing why we have breakthrough infections, or someone who gets the virus more than two weeks after being fully vaccinated?  Nothing works 100 percent in medicine. 95 percent of those vaccinated are expected to experience only mild symptoms if they are infected with COVID-19.
• (27:15) When it comes to vaccination, is it the variant causing an uptick in cases or are people failing to get vaccinated? Both are responsible for the increase in cases.
• (30:35) Is the Moderna vaccine harder on the body than Pfizer?  I've heard people who take Moderna have more reactions and symptoms post second dose. Three fourths of people will have some reaction to both vaccines regardless of which one.
• (31:35) We have spent zero time with our grandchildren indoors since the pandemic began. We are now fully vaccinated. Can the grandchildren come inside to play without masks? If the grandchildren are all from the same household, yes.
• (33:45) How long are vaccines effective?  Six months?  A year?  How long am I protected?  We know six months for sure since that’s how long they have been used. The expectation is nine months to a year before needing a booster.
• (34:30) Both our 7 and 10-year-old had COVID-19 in the fall. Do they have immunity against the old and/or new variants? What should our plan be to keep them safe until they can be vaccinated? Their immunity would not be as high as someone who has been vaccinated. Have parents and anyone around them get vaccinated as soon as possible.
• (36:40) Can you elaborate on the CDC guidance regarding surface transmission? It’s possible for the virus to live for a short time on inanimate objects, but the main way it’s transmitted is through respiratory droplets through the air. Wash your hands often and don’t touch your eyes, nose, or mouth, but the risk of surface transmission is much less than being in an enclosed space with somebody who has the disease.
• (37:50) Can you drink alcohol after receiving a COVID-19 vaccination?  Does alcohol interfere with building my immunity? Immunity is built up over several weeks so any food or drink immediately after being vaccinated won’t likely have an effect.
• (39:00) If we are completely vaccinated, do we need to double mask? As long as the fit of a single mask is good, there is no need to double mask.
• (40:00) I have two grandchildren with severe health issues. One has an artificial heart valve and the other is a cancer survivor. The family is opting to not be vaccinated. What are your thoughts on this? As medical professionals, we recommend everybody get vaccinated, especially in a case like this.
• (43:15) I am a grandmother who is fully vaccinated and planning a trip with adult grandchildren who are not.  Is it safe to be around family without a mask? It depends on many things. Whether the grandkids are from the same household, what the disease transmission is like in their community and where you are going and what you are planning on doing. You must decide on the risk you’re willing to take and how best to mitigate that risk.
• (45:50) On the guidance of one household at a time, is that one household at a time or choose one household and that’s the only household you can interact with? CDC guidance is when you gather as a group, if you are vaccinated you can gather at that moment with people from one household who are not vaccinated. We don’t interpret it as pick one household and limit your bubble.

            Monday, April 19 at 8:00 a.m. is the next Morning Media Update. Monday marks the start of national volunteer week and we've two guests who help us with our COVID-19 vaccine clinics. Vanessa Goldsberry is our volunteer services director and she'll be joined by Elaine Struve, (rhymes with groove). Elaine began volunteering to “pay if forward” and now helps out with our clinics.

ATTENTION: media procedure for calling in:

 The meeting is available by Zoom, both video and by phone. To join the Zoom Meeting by video, click https://kumc-ois.zoom.us/j/7828978628

Telephone dial-in Participants: For those without Zoom, call 1-312-626-6799, meeting ID: 782 897 8628.

The feed is also available via TVU grid. The TVU source is UoK_Health and is being made available to all.

Feel free to send questions in advance to medicalnewsnetwork@kumc.edu.