The University of Kansas Health System has a slightly higher number of COVID-19 patients in the hospital today. 22 patients are being treated for the virus, up from 21 yesterday. Seven are in the ICU, down from nine yesterday and three are on ventilators, same as yesterday. Doctors say the health system continues to discharge patients every day, while admitting new patients with the virus.
Dr. Jessica Kalender-Rich is back in her new capacity as a national member of the Coronavirus Commission for Safety and Quality in Nursing Homes. Together with Dr. Hawkinson, they answered viewer and media questions.
Dr. Kalender-Rich had a status report on the work she’s doing with the national commission and noted a new public forum for giving input will soon be available. She also addressed the question of care for COVID-19 patients with memory problems. She mentioned that many nursing homes are looking for ways to test their staff on a routine basis using something besides the nasal swab, which some find invasive. She says the good news is other methods of testing are coming. She discussed how to keep teachers, many of whom fall into the older adult category, safe in the classroom. As for the question of whether school buses will be safe for kids, she says just like in the classroom, schools are going to have to get creative, which may mean half-full buses, to go along with some of the suggestions of half-full classrooms. She says the key will continue to be masks, hand hygiene and physical distancing. She’s encouraged by seeing more people wearing masks.
Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical director of infection prevention and control at The University of Kansas Health System, talked about whether a COVID-19 vaccine will be a one-time shot with a booster or an annual vaccination like the flu shot. He said it’s not for certain yet, but he thinks the best prediction is it will be an annual shot. He also answered the question of whether we should be wearing goggles along with a mask when we’re out in public. He addressed the question of whether COVID-19 can linger in the air in an indoor environment. He talked about how long you and your spouse should leave your masks on after leaving a store or a restaurant where people were not wearing them. He also answered questions of whether it’s still a good idea to wipe down our groceries and whether we should be optimistic about the Regeneron phase 3 trial. He reminds us that the virus is spreading through the young adult population faster now, and that it’s especially vital for them to avoid large groups, keep their distance, wear a mask and keep their hands sanitized.
Monday, July 13 at 8:00 a.m. is the next daily briefing call. Rachel Liesman, PhD, director of Microbiology in pathology and laboratory medicine joins to update testing capacity including turn-around time, the number of tests, and how we’re helping other hospitals meet demands.
ATTENTION: media procedure for calling in:
The meeting is available by Zoom, both video and by phone. To join the Zoom Meeting by video, click https://kumc-ois.zoom.us/j/7828978628
Telephone dial-in Participants:
For those without Zoom, call 1-253-215-8782, meeting ID: 782 897 8628.
The feed is also available via TVU grid. The TVU source is UoK_Health and is being made available to all.
Feel free to send questions in advance to medicalnewsnetwork@kumc.edu.
