The University of Kansas Health System reports a higher number of COVID-19 patients being treated today. 32 patients are hospitalized, up from 26 Friday. Doctors note the number had reached 37 at one point over the weekend. 11 patients are in the ICU, same as Friday. Eight patients are on ventilators, also the same as Friday. 32 other patients are still hospitalized because of COVID-19 but are out of the acute infection phase. That’s down from 35 Friday. In addition, HaysMed has 16 total COVID-19 inpatients today, down from 19 Friday. Two of those patients are in the recovery phase.
Johnson County Public Health Officer Dr. Joseph LeMaster and Dr. Jessica Kalendar-Rich, national member of the Coronavirus Commission for Safety and Quality, joined the Morning Media Update to answer questions about the virus spread in Johnson County, what’s driving it and the impact on public schools and nursing homes.
Dr. LeMaster addressed the question of what’s causing the uptick in cases in the Metro area. He believes it’s as simple as not wearing a mask and not socially distancing. He says mask wearing has unnecessarily become a divisive issue and should not be politicized. He stressed we all need to “get over this,” and normalize mask wearing. He said if you see a Johnson County business not enforcing the mask order, you should notify the district attorney in your city. He also said the health department is closely monitoring schools. He says once the infection rate drops below 50 cases per 100,000, the county can resume full in-person classes. He also explained how the positivity rate in Johnson County is calculated and says right now it’s still too high to consider lifting the mask mandate. He says while most hospitals are not overwhelmed right now, that could change with more spread of the virus as we head into winter. He also had Halloween tips from the Johnson County Health Department web site and said overall, avoid parties and trick or treating in large groups.
Dr. Kalendar-Rich had good news for families of nursing home patients, saying federal guidelines are starting to allow visits with their loved ones, but with many restrictions. Those include logging the visitors and spaced timing for visits. She explained how often nursing home employees are tested and said it’s based on the number of cases in the community. She says we must do our best to protect our most vulnerable population.
Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical director of infection prevention and control at The University of Kansas Health System, discussed whether ionization and cleaners are effective in stopping the virus from spreading in a public setting. He says they can’t hurt but are not as effective as masking and social distancing. He also said reports of a less deadly strain of COVID-19 being out there are not true. The strain is the same one from China we’ve been battling since the beginning of the pandemic. He also reminded us that a person can test positive for a long time after being infected, even when they are no longer contagious, and more businesses are starting to realize that for their employees. He says returning to work is based on how long since you’ve been exposed to the virus and how long you’ve been symptom-free.
Steve Stites, MD, chief medical officer at The University of Kansas Health System, was encouraged by the mask wearing he observed in the Plaza and at other stops over the weekend. But he reminded us the weather is getting colder and there will be fewer opportunities for outside activities, which makes mask wearing vital, especially indoors. He said, “Nobody likes wearing a mask,” even doctors and nurses in a medical setting. But he says they do it, and the proof it works is that there has been no spread of COVID-19 in the health system. He says to those who don’t want to wear a mask, “This is not about you. This is about everyone else and keeping everybody safe. It’s freedom with responsibility.”
Tuesday, October 20 at 8:00 a.m. is the next morning media update. Phil Griffin, KDHE Director of Bureau of Disease and Prevention joins to update how the COVID-19 vaccine will roll-out across Kansas, when it might happen and who would get it first.
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.
