The University of Kansas Health System is treating a total of 35 COVID patients today, 34 yesterday. Other significant numbers:

• 19 with the active virus today, 24 yesterday
• 4 in ICU, 5 yesterday
• 2 on a ventilator, 1 yesterday

Key points from today’s guests:

Patti Beyer, breast cancer survivor and advocate

• While living in Illinois, her routine mammograms missed her cancer, but an ultrasound and needle biopsy diagnosed it in 2016.
• Because she had dense breast tissue, she did not realize that ultrasounds should be done in addition to mammograms to help better identify cancer.
• She helped pass a law in Illinois to notify patients with dense breast tissue that they also need to get ultrasound screenings.
• Women really need to advocate for themselves or own health and particularly breast health -- because knowledge is absolute power and information is everything.

Dr. Allison Aripoli, breast imaging specialist, The University of Kansas Health System

• Generally speaking, breast tissue density remains the same over time. When we look at women over long periods of time, we do see a subtle decrease in density as women age.
• It is estimated that for women over 40, about 40 to 50 percent of women have dense breast tissue.
• Women should be informed about two things: One that dense breast tissue increases her risk of developing breast cancer. And two, it's harder for radiologists to find cancer in dense breast tissue.
• Every woman should have a mammogram every single year starting at age 40 – or earlier if she has high risk.
• We have other imaging types that we call supplemental exams, and these are used in addition to a mammogram to find cancers that are otherwise not visible on a mammogram -- ultrasound, breast MRI and contrast-enhanced mammogram.

Dr. Marc Inciardi, breast imaging specialist, The University of Kansas Health System

• Kansas does not have a law requiring doctors to notify patients about their breast density, but just two weeks ago on the federal level, the FDA updated its standards and mammogram reports must include an assessment of a patient's breast density. Doctors have until September of 2024 to comply.
• Here at the health system, we've already been doing this because that’s the standard of care here, but Dr. Inciardi has been advocating for more than 10 years to make this happen nationally.
• Where you get your mammogram matters and experience counts. If the radiologist doesn't find it early or find all of it, the treatment will be less effective.
• To schedule a mammogram, text MAMMO to 913-588-1227.

Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control, The University of Kansas Health System

• What we have seen in the clinical data is that somewhere around two to six months, protection from COVID vaccines against hospitalization and severe disease does decrease a little bit.
• We know that antibody levels naturally do peak and then do regress, so that is a normal function.
• We certainly want to protect everybody and especially our most vulnerable.
• One of the most common questions we get is do people need to get another bivalent booster?
• Right now, there is no recommendation to do that, but we know that the bivalent boosters do provide very good protection against hospitalization and severe disease.

Monday, March 26 is the next Morning Medical Update. After experiencing double vision after giving birth, one mom refused to believe it was just a byproduct of pregnancy and sought a second opinion to solve the problem.

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