A slight drop in the number of active COVID-19 patients being treated at The University of Kansas Health System today. 71 people with the active virus are hospitalized, down from 75 yesterday. 23 patients are in the ICU, down from 26 yesterday. 15 of those ICU patients are on ventilators today, up from 11 yesterday. 70 other patients are still hospitalized because of COVID-19 but are out of the acute infection phase, up from 66 yesterday. That’s a total of 141 patients, same as yesterday. In addition, HaysMed has a total of 24 COVID-19 inpatients, up from 22 yesterday, with 23 of those active patients and 1 in the recovery phase.
Doctors say there is no concern about the vaccine fighting the new variant of COVID-19. A study by Pfizer, one of the vaccine makers, shows you will still have enough antibodies to fight the variant. The panel also mentioned that non-medical staff members at the health system are now being given the opportunity to receive the vaccine.
On today’s Morning Media Update, David Wild, MD, VP of Performance Improvement at the health system, filled in for Dr. Stites. Lance Williamson from Infection Prevention and Control joined the panel, along with Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical director of Infection Prevention and Control, to answer media and community questions as we head into the weekend.
Here are the media and community questions in the order the panel addressed them, followed by the short answer. See the video for their full answers and comments.
- Will we need to get a COVID19 booster shot every year? The anticipation is yes, but there’s no official guidance yet.
- Should we be worried about a Florida doctor who took the vaccine and died? Doctors are very skeptical it’s vaccine related. It’s far more likely there were other disease processes in place.
- Is there a minimum wait time between getting the shingles vaccine and the COVID-19 vaccine? There’s a lack of data on this, but in general, the recommendation is to wait 14 days between two different vaccines.
- Will there be drive-through COVID-19 vaccinations? Maybe eventually. The logistics involve having a parking lot big enough to allow people to observe the 15-minute waiting period plus enough people to monitor everyone. Also depends on the weather.
- The mRNA model has been studied for decades as a potential vaccine. Why was it suddenly approved now? The pandemic provided money and resources needed to fast track. There was no public emergency need before.
- If I get the vaccine before my family, do I need to isolate? No, but you all still need to observe the pillars of infection prevention.
- Is COVID-19 a disease or a virus? I hear it called both. COVID-19 is the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
- I've heard asymptomatic people can develop heart, lung and other problems down the road. I wonder, will the vaccine protect me from developing chronic COVID-19 conditions? People with more severe symptoms are more likely to develop long-term problems. It is also possible in asymptomatic people.
- My husband is a first responder who caught COVID-19 around the holidays. He hopes to transition home soon. Should he get the vaccine when it comes his turn at the department? Or should he wait? Yes, everyone should get the vaccine when it’s their turn. There’s no clinical reason to say no.
- How long do people need to wear a mask and social distance after they get the vaccine? How many in the community need to be vaccinated before we can ditch the mask? The mRNA vaccines may prevent you from getting sick at all or will lessen your risk of getting seriously ill and dying, but we can still spread it to others. We will likely be masking and keeping socially distant for most of this year. 70 to 85 percent of the population need to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity.
- What do you know about the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, which will reportedly be only one dose? No official data available on that vaccine yet, but it’s always the goal of vaccines to be one dose rather than two.
- Are vaccination clinics being considered for college campuses? Yes, when it’s their time. College students are usually a lower risk population.
- It takes two weeks for the flu vaccine to kick in. How long does it take the COVID-19 vaccine to take effect? Most current vaccines take two weeks, with some offering full protection two weeks after the second dose.
- Could there be a strain of COVID-19 not being picked up by testing? I was diagnosed with viral pneumonia, but multiple doctors say recent x-rays indicate I had COVID-19 although my tests came back negative. Whatever I caught is going around my husband's workplace and several have taken sick. X-rays don’t diagnose COVID-19. The PCR, or nasal swab test, is unlikely to result in false negatives.
- Is there any reason family members have to wait and take the vaccine together? Or if one member has early access, should they take it? There’s no reason to wait. Get it when it’s your turn.
- If our whole family has been vaccinated, can we become our own social bubble? Still need to observe all the pillars of infection prevention, as you can still spread the virus to others, inside or outside of your bubble.
- If a Missouri resident receives the vaccine at the health system, which state database records the shot? How does crossing state lines work? It is reported to the state where the vaccine was given, in this case, to Kansas. However, states have systems for informing other states when one of their residents receives the vaccine.
Monday, January 11 at 8:00 a.m. is the next Morning Media Update. Dr. Branden Comfort, Internal Medicine joins to talk about long haulers and the COVID-19 Clinic. Casey Pickering, ICU nurse manager joins to update our COVID-19 clinic and life in the ICU for COVID-19 patients.
ATTENTION: media procedure for calling in:
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