The number of COVID-19 patients at The University of Kansas Health System continues to trend higher today. 24 patients are being treated for the virus, up from 22 on Friday. 10 are in the ICU, up from 7 Friday and three are on ventilators, same as Friday. Doctors say the health system continues to discharge patients every day, while admitting new patients with the virus. They say this is the trend at hospitals all over the Metro area.
Rachel Liesman, PhD, director of Microbiology in pathology and laboratory medicine joined the panel to update testing capacity including turn-around time, the number of tests, and how we’re helping other hospitals meet demands.
Dr. Liesman said the health system is expected to perform its 40-thousandth test sometime today. She says they are doing 800-900 tests every day but can’t do more because of limited supplies. She notes the shortage is not just at the health system but everywhere. She discussed saliva testing, saying data shows it’s “pretty good,” but the nasal swab, as uncomfortable is it may be, is still the most accurate test for COVID-19. She says there are studies underway in which both tests are given to one patient to see if the results are the same. She believes some facilities are beginning to use a saliva test, even though it has not been proven as accurate, because of a shortage of the nasal swabs.
Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical director of infection prevention and control at The University of Kansas Health System, talked about herd immunity, in which most people get infected and immune, so the virus dies out with no place to go. He says we have a long way to go as herd immunity requires 80-90 percent of the people be infected and right now only 10-12 percent have been. He also explained why this virus is not the same as the flu, as it does not appear to be seasonal like the flu. He’s hoping for an accurate home test, which would give instant results and help people decide whether to go out in public. He also believes our kids need to get back to school, with the proper precautions in place, because they need the structure and routine. The panel said that all next week the morning briefing will be dedicated to all things school related. He also thinks a vaccine might be a year away.
Steve Stites, MD, chief medical officer at The University of Kansas Health System, is a little more optimistic about a vaccine, thinking it might be ready by January. He believes we’re more than halfway there. He stresses that the rise in cases, especially among young people, is directly due to people going into crowds without masks and proper physical distancing. He urges every one of us to be responsible and not to believe it can’t happen to us.
Tuesday July 14 at 8:00 a.m. is the next daily briefing call. COVID-19 survivor Anil Gharmalkar of Parsons, KS, shares his story of contracting the virus in mid-April and being life-flighted to the health system after a nearly a week in his community hospital. He shares his harrowing story and details of the struggles that remain.
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