The number of COVID-19 patients at The University of Kansas Health System is holding steady today. 13 people with the active virus are being treated, the same as yesterday. Of those patients, five are in the ICU, the same as yesterday. Two of those patients are on ventilators, same as yesterday. Seven other patients are still hospitalized because of COVID-19 but are out of the acute infection phase, a drop from 12 yesterday. That’s a total of 20 patients, down from 25 yesterday. HaysMed reports two active COVID-19 patients today with none in the recovery phase, down from three yesterday.
On today’s Morning Media Update, Catherine Satterwhite, regional health administrator for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services gave us a regional view of the infection and vaccination rates and discussed ramifications from the pause in the J & J vaccine.
Dr. Satterwhite discussed the pause in the J & J vaccine yesterday and said the government is committed to transparency when it comes to investigating the blood clots in the six people out of seven million who developed them after taking the vaccine. She explained that the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, of which the health system’s Dr. Kevin Ault is a member, is meeting virtually today at 12:30 to discuss the situation, and the public is welcome to watch. She says it’s important to remember this is a pause and not a stop forever, and it could be just a matter of days before the vaccine is cleared to resume distribution. The pause will also help medical professionals know the cues and how to treat the clots in the rare event they occur. She says the vaccine has already been given to those who were eager to get it. Now the task is working with those who are not outright refusing but are hesitant. She feels Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri and Iowa, the four states she covers, are doing a great job so far in vaccinating their residents but realizes there are still challenges ahead. One of the major strategies HHS and the CDC is using is what they call “Shared Stories,” in which people of trust help convince others about the vaccine safety. That includes a person’s doctor, who most agree is at the top of that list. That’s why she says it’s a priority to get the vaccines into doctors’ offices as soon as possible. She reminds us that the vaccine trials are not over even though they have been approved for emergency use, and the vaccine safety and efficacy will be continually studied for years. She urges everyone to keep wearing masks, get vaccinated as soon as possible and keep looking to the CDC for updated recommendations.
Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical director of Infection Prevention and Control at The University of Kansas Health System, reminds us that if there was not a pause in the J & J vaccine, there would be even more reluctance from the public to accept the vaccines. To those who think the vaccine was rushed he has two words: “Money and resources.” He explained that when previous viruses like SARS, MERS and Zika died out, efforts to develop vaccines for them died as well. He says the difference with COVID-19 is it has not died out and the whole world got together to provide the resources, money and great minds to expedite the vaccines to fight this deadly disease. He adds that the tens of thousands of people in the trials are a lot more than for most drugs. This shows, he says, that a vaccine can be expedited in a safe manner and “It wasn’t rushed by any means.”
Steve Stites, MD, chief medical officer at the University of Kansas Health System, says while we should feel comforted by the pause and notes the FDA is the gold standard in the world for safety, he’s concerned this may put a damper on vaccine acceptance for some people. He’s seeing more vaccine hesitancy than he’d like, and the fact that right now there is more supply than demand, “Scares me.” He advises not to let fear rule your life, and the fear of COVID-19 is much greater than the fear of vaccination. He stresses that the vaccines are the first chance we’ve had to go on the offensive against COVID-19 after just being on defense by wearing masks. He says the combination will be what gets us the victory and life as we remember.
Thursday, April 15 at 8:00 a.m. is the next Morning Media Update. We are talking prom and graduation on both sides of the state line. First, we'll hear the results of a survey sent out by Dr. Kenny Southwick, executive director of Cooperating School Districts of Greater KC. Then, Dr. Joe Gilhaus, director of secondary schools for the Shawnee Mission District and Nicole Kirby, director of communication services at Park Hill will join to share how they plan to do both prom and graduation this year. It's all about keeping the community safe.
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