Another drop in the number of COVID-19 patients being treated at The University of Kansas Health System today. 27 with the active virus are being treated, down from 30 on Friday. Of those patients, 10 are in the ICU, the same as Friday. Five of those ICU patients are on ventilators today, up from four on Friday. 52 other patients are still hospitalized because of COVID-19 but are out of the acute infection phase, down from 59 Friday. That’s a total of 79 patients, down from 89 Friday. In addition, HaysMed has a total of 21 COVID-19 inpatients, up from 17 Friday, with ten of those active patients and 11 in the recovery phase.
On today’s Morning Media Update, Dr. David Smith, medical director of Youth Sports Medicine, joined the panel to talk about getting back to spring sports.
Dr. Smith says a lot of lessons have been learned in youth sports medicine since the pandemic began, and one of the big things is that they could get started. Even though 400 events had to be canceled, they were safely able to have athletes compete in many fall and winter sports, both inside and outside. He described the many steps, including limiting spectators, that have helped keep the infection rate down. He says they discovered that the rate of COVID-19 infection in the community played a big role in the infection rate of the athletes. He added that the infections were not occurring on the field, in training and in competition but in the social circles of the athletes. He stressed it’s vital to keep the athletes out of these social circles. He’s surprised the rate of infection for wrestling, with state tournaments coming up, is not as high as they thought it would be. He noted that heart damage is a risk for athletes who catch the virus and that it’s sometimes hard to detect. He explained how athletes are cleared for competition after having COVID-19, saying it’s a seven-day graduated plan. He also said, after talking with students and their parents, it’s been devastating for the kids to not be in school, but says if everyone faithfully keeps wearing a mask, things will gradually get back to normal.
Nathan Bahr, MD, infection control physician at The University of Kansas Health System, filled in for Dr. Hawkinson. He noted some concern with the AstraZeneca vaccine and its ability to fight the South African strain of COVID-19. He says the variants are in our country, but the good news is manufacturers are able to adjust their vaccines quickly as the variants come along. He pointed out that the vaccine is just a tool to fight the virus, but not the only tool. Wearing a mask and keeping your distance are just as important. He’s concerned that the lower infection rates being reported lately may encourage some to let their guard down but says that’s a recipe for disaster and higher infections. He also reassured us that there’s no evidence that taking ibuprofen before getting the vaccine will reduce its effectiveness.
Steve Stites, MD, chief medical officer at The University of Kansas Health system, says it’s risky to visit someone outside of your bubble if both of you have not been fully vaccinated. Even if both parties have been fully vaccinated, it’s still best to wear a mask until the virus is gone. He explained vaccines don’t stop you from getting infected. They stop you from getting seriously infected and dying. It’s like the flu shot, in that you can get sick, just not as sick, after having one. He said it’s still possible to spread the virus after being vaccinated, which is why mask wearing is still going to be with us for much of this year. He says letting kids get together in small groups is OK as long as they all wear masks. He also explained how doses left over at the end of the day are not wasted at the health system. He says staff begin working the phones to find who can use the vaccine. He says if we don’t let our guard down and keep up masking and social distancing, we may be able to fill Arrowhead stadium this fall as the Chiefs try to get back to the Super Bowl.
Tuesday, February 9 at 8:00 a.m. is the next Morning Media Update. KDHE Secretary Dr. Lee Norman is back to answer questions about the rollout in vaccinations across Kansas.
ATTENTION: media procedure for calling in:
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