A big jump in the numbers of COVID-19 patients being treated at The University of Kansas Health System today. 30 patients are hospitalized, up from 24 yesterday. 7 patients are in the ICU, down from 11 yesterday. Six patients are on ventilators, down from 8 yesterday. 28 other patients are still hospitalized because of COVID-19 but are out of the acute infection phase. That’s up from 25 yesterday. Doctors say this reflects the trend they’re hearing from hospitals all around the Metro area. In addition, HaysMed has 18 inpatients today, up from 17 yesterday.
On today’s update, we heard from two COVID-19 survivors, one in nursing school and the other a seasoned nurse. Both caught COVID-19 in the community. 21-year-old Mara Lovell joined us in the studio to describe how she still struggles with fatigue and other symptoms. 58-year-old Lynn Flora joined us from her home to talk about her harrowing experience of 64 days in the hospital, 45 of them on a ventilator, and 14 days in rehab.
Mara Lovell, like most Chiefs fans, couldn’t wait for the Thursday night home opening game on September 10. She and a group of close friends gathered to watch the game on TV. But the following Monday, she woke up and knew something wasn’t right. By that afternoon she had a fever of 101 degrees and was feeling extremely tired and short of breath. She tested positive for COVID-19 and spent a week at home battling the virus and feeling miserable. She says over-the counter-medicines didn’t help. She didn’t have to go to the hospital and fortunately, because of home isolation, nobody else in her family got sick. She’s recovered and says her sense of taste is back but not her sense of smell. Being in the health field, she says she was diligent about wearing a mask, but admits she let her guard down for the Chiefs game, which is where she’s certain she caught the virus. Her warning for others is “It’s a lot easier to get than you think.”
Lynn Flora got it a lot worse, though her initial symptoms were a bit different. She had no fever and didn’t lose her sense of taste or smell but had nausea and severe cramps. When her breathing became difficult, she went to the hospital. That’s where she took a sudden turn for the worse, and was put on a ventilator for 45 days, a time when she was unconscious and doesn’t remember. She eventually was well enough to be removed from the breathing machine and after 65 days in the hospital, spent 14 days in rehabilitation. She’s home now, and says she rarely leaves. Her life now is working on building up her strength and endurance to where it used to be. She says she’s not sure where she got the virus but did say her husband tested positive. Thankfully, she says, his illness was nothing like hers. She knows some people think wearing a mask is a personal choice, but urges everyone, especially when you’re out of your bubble, to think about others and wear one. She says we must be vigilant to keep those around us safe.
Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical director of infection prevention and control at The University of Kansas Health System, noted that young people now make up a large proportion of the new COVID-19 cases, both here and around the country. He says it’s remarkable that Lawrence Memorial Hospital has only 5 COVID-19 patients given the opening of KU and the mass migration of people from around the country. He also discussed news of another vaccine trial put on hold and said that’s not uncommon and shows the process works. He says an independent oversight group, not the researchers or the drug company, decides when to put a trial on hold.
Steve Stites, MD, chief medical officer at the University of Kansas Health System, answered a viewer question on how safe it is to travel to an out of town funeral and stay in a hotel. He says hotel room surfaces are nowhere near as important as avoiding someone else’s breath cloud. He advises wearing a mask at all times, keeping your distance from others and don’t go to the restaurant but rather bring food to your room. He says the biggest concern is the funeral itself. Many of them have become super spreader events due to lack of mask wearing and social distancing. He advises everyone to take the comments from today’s guests who survived the virus seriously and reminds us that with our freedom comes responsibility to protect others.
Wednesday, October 14 at 8:00 a.m. is the next morning media update. On the heels of KDHE Secretary Dr. Lee Norman declaring Kansas is loosing the battle against COVID-19, Dr. Heather Harris, Medical Director of our HaysMed campus joins to talk about the virus spread there and what the community can do to blunt this latest curve.
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