Doctors are alarmed at the high number of 96 total patients of all ages in the hospital, as not long ago the total was 35. They fear the surge will put a strain on hospital capacity, drugs and workforce at all area hospitals. They are very nervous about the future saying if these are the numbers now when the weather is nice, just wait until Thanksgiving when it’s colder and people gather indoors to celebrate.
There is a disturbing trend in late-stage breast cancer diagnoses directly related to this pandemic. Dr. Jamie Wagner, Division Chief Breast Surgery, Breast Surgery Oncologist and psychologist Dr. Elizabeth Muenks (Monks) joined us for this update.
Dr. Wagner has seen a disturbing trend since the beginning of the pandemic, a 50 percent drop in the number of breast cancer diagnoses across the country. She says it doesn’t mean there is less breast cancer, it means people are afraid of COVID-19 and putting off mammograms until their cancer is advanced. She says the time between what can only be seen by a mammogram and when a woman can feel a lump on her breast makes a huge difference in the treatment and the outcome. She explained all of the safety measures taken in the waiting rooms and treatment areas and echoed the other doctors in saying there’s no safer place during the pandemic than in a healthcare facility. She urges every woman to get their annual mammogram and reminds us that cancer doesn’t stop for a pandemic.
Dr. Muenks says everyone is suffering Covid Weariness Syndrome (COWS) and she helps patients every day deal with the anxiety of coping with cancer and their fear of the virus. She helps them get ahead of their anxiety and pointed out many patients take advantage of telehealth visits. The most common question she gets is how to handle Thanksgiving. She advises minimizing risks and reminds patients we want them here next year for a better celebration. She says humans are resilient and if we all hold steady and act not just for us but for those around us, we’ll get there.
Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical director of infection prevention and control at The University of Kansas Health System, commented on a home-based saliva testing kit now available from a Lenexa lab, saying the tests can have the same sensitivity as the nasal swab. It’s the same one used to help the University of Kansas open this fall. He says you’ll still need to isolate while waiting for the results, which could take a few days to receive. He also outlined several ways to get testing if the wait list seems too long. When asked where all of the increases are coming from, he says it’s not as much from schools but the kids and their families at large gatherings outside their bubble. He says it’s behavior more than location that’s defining where the spread is occurring. He reminds us we need to use science to inform our decisions
Steve Stites, MD, chief medical officer at The University of Kansas Health System, admitted the doctors seemed on edge this morning, and for good reason. He
says people are not taking the same precautions now as they were in the spring, which is why he says, “we’re in more trouble now.” He explained we have better therapies now, and the promise of a vaccine from Pfizer coming soon which claims to be 90 percent effective. He calls that a “game changer,” if true. But he says people are letting their guard down, which is putting a strain on the healthcare system. He says “We don’t have the power to stop COVID-19. You have the power.” He explained science works and so do the rules of infection control when followed. He says we’ve bent the curve before, and we can all do it again.
Tuesday, November 10 at 8:00 a.m. is the next morning media update. Imagine fighting cancer and learning you’ve caught COVID-19. That’s the story of our guest tomorrow. Kari Rawley shares her story along with her medical oncologist Lauren Nye.
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