Some of the numbers of COVID-19 patients at The University of Kansas Health System are trending higher today. 32 are hospitalized, same as Friday. But 11 patients are in the ICU, up from 9 Friday. Eight patients are on ventilators, up from 7 yesterday, and that 70% ventilator rate has doctors concerned. 30 other patients are still hospitalized because of COVID-19 but are out of the acute infection phase. That’s up from 26 Friday. HaysMed has also seen an increase to 19 inpatients today from 12 Friday with none in the non-infectious but recovering phase. Doctors say this reflects the rolling 7-day total of cases both in the Metro area and across the country.
Classes at KU have now been going for seven weeks, and Chancellor Dr. Doug Girod and Chris Wilson, VP of System Integration and Innovation at the health system returned to update the virus spread on campus.
Dr. Girod described all of the changes made on campus to protect from the virus and said it appears the masking observance is great among students and staff. The focus now is mainly on handling new cases and helping those infected. He feels like they’ve reached a steady state but admits there’s concern about what will happen after the winter break and everyone returns from around the country for the second semester. He’s hoping the available testing will be even better then. He says off campus students continue to be a challenge as the university has less control over their actions and says some infected students who live in the state have chosen to go home to quarantine. He also said the Jayhawks’ first home football game, with 25% occupancy, went well and they learned a lot about how to do things safely.
Chris Wilson dived deeper into the numbers, saying there have been 1000 COVID-19 cases to date on the KU Campus. With a positivity rate of 3.5% and 5-10 new cases a day, he says that’s still better than the city of Lawrence as a whole. He noted many colleges and universities around the country have gone completely online with classes and the goal is to keep a safe environment at KU. He says the biggest priority for the campus is not to let up on daily observance of the pillars of infection prevention.
Steve Stites, MD, chief medical officer at the University of Kansas Health System, discussed the various treatments President Trump has reportedly been receiving while hospitalized for COVID-19, including one clinical trial medication. He also explained why a person’s blood oxygen level is important and why it’s dangerous when it drops. He says scientists still don’t have all the answers on COVID-19 when it comes to reinfection. He adds that the pillars of infection prevention affect everyone, from presidents to quarterbacks, and it’s vital we all wear a mask and keep our distance.
Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical director of infection prevention and control at The University of Kansas Health System, answered a question about why the Chiefs’ next opponents, the New England Patriots, whose quarterback Cam Newton tested positive, aren’t all under quarantine. He also discussed some of the ways the Chiefs screen their players and staff. He says sometimes it’s hard to know if a cold and runny nose are just those or if it’s COVID-19. His best advice is to get tested. He also said there is currently no approved medicine for outpatient use that helps those with the virus, though some are currently in clinical trials.
Tuesday, October 6 at 8:00 a.m. is the next morning media update. Linda Bunten, a nurse practitioner at the health system says she and her whole family, even Grandma, had a fright when they all came down with COVID-19. How did someone who advises patients on staying safe and believes herself a role model catch the virus? She tells all on this update.
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