The number of COVID-19 patients is up today at The University of Kansas Health System. 23 are hospitalized, up from 21 yesterday. Six patients are in the ICU, down from 8 yesterday. Three patients are on ventilators, up from 2 yesterday. 22 other patients are still hospitalized because of COVID-19 but are out of the acute infection phase. That’s down from 23 yesterday. In addition, HaysMed reports 17 inpatients, with 15 actively sick and two recovering but no longer infectious. Doctors say overall the 7-day average is above 300 in the Metro area, when it had been down to around 250 just a few weeks ago. They also say now is the time to start planning to get a flu shot.
Amanda Gartner, Director of Quality and Safety at the health system joined Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical director of infection prevention and control at The University of Kansas Health System to help answer community questions.
Here are the questions in the order the doctors addressed them, followed by the short answer. See the video for their full answers and comments.
- Can someone explain the percent positive rates? They seem to differ by source. Data sometimes changes hourly so different sources might have different rates at any given time. One good source is the Kansas City Region COVID-19 Data Hub from the Mid America Regional Council. Better to focus on 7-10 day rolling averages. Key message is we still have a high rate and COVID-19 is still among us.
- On Doctor Radio, they said a study shows there has only been one case of transmission of COVID-19 outdoors and that was face to face contact. Is this true? There are many examples in our area alone of transmission from outdoor events, such as weddings and big gatherings such as at the Lake of the Ozarks. Even outdoors, masking and social distancing are vital.
- Do you think there will be a big rise in COVID-19 cases this fall and winter? As we transition to indoor activities, the risks increase. It all depends on how well we observe the pillars of infection prevention.
- I’ve heard the 6-foot spacing recommendation has now been increased to 8-10 feet. The CDC has been confusing on this. Can you clarify? Further apart is always better than closer. Also depends on your activity.
- I have an autoimmune disease and take biologics. Should I stop taking my medications to allow my immune system to build to guard against COVID-19? Absolutely not. It’s important to maintain preventive medical care as well as treatment for chronic conditions.
- Should a person get antibody testing before getting the vaccine when it’s approved? Maybe we won’t need the vaccine? An antibody test won’t impact your need to get the vaccine.
- You talked earlier this week about assembling a team of medical professionals to deal with the lingering effects of COVID-19. What are some of the medical issues they will address, and will you have a psychologist on the team? The COVID-19 Recovery Clinic will include primary care, internal medicine, family medicine, neurology, pulmonary, cardiology, psychology and psychiatry and other sub-specialties as needed.
- Fact or fiction: Children are immune to COVID-19. Fiction.
- You guys are spaced out without masks. Why are we holding children to different standards, saying they cannot be spaced out without masks? Aren’t children less likely to get sick? Children are at less risk of hospitalization, critical illness and death. But they are still able to get the disease and more importantly can spread it. We are able to maintain our safe distances in the studio while it’s harder for children to do so in a school setting.
- What about kids who are transitioning from outdoor to indoor soccer? Is it still safe and should masks be worn at all times or just on the sideline? All indoor sports will be risky. Sideline masking will be vital, but it’s harder for players on the field to wear one. Spectators can especially be at risk indoors.
- Is the COVID-19 virus aerobic (needs oxygen) or anerobic (doesn’t need oxygen?) Why is this important to know? No distinction between the two when it comes to COVID-19.
- What are your recommendations for trick-or-treating this year? The CDC says traditional door-to-door trick-or-treating is high-risk. The suggestion is not to let kids reach into your bucket for candy but rather you hand to them. See the link for other suggestions.
- What’s the expectation for quarantining school children at home who may have been exposed to the virus in the classroom? If the child had close contact, the quarantine period is 14 days. Parents, as a secondary contact, are not required to quarantine. It’s important to maintain the pillars of infection prevention while in the house.
- When we get the vaccine, will the person who administers it give you a card or a wrist band saying you’ve received it? Will it be necessary to show in order to get into a movie, concert or game? Not sure if a so called “immunity passport” will be reliable. Probably not reasonable to expect a need to show it to attend events.
Monday, September 28 at 8:00 a.m. is the next morning media update. Dr. Marc Parrish in maternal fetal medicine joins us to dive deeper into the recent CDC report linking COVID-19 to pre-term and still births. He’ll share what he tells his patients about being pregnant during a pandemic and if now is a good time to conceive.
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.