The number of COVID-19 patients at The University of Kansas Health System went up quite a bit over the weekend. 11 patients with the active virus are being treated, more than double the five from Friday. Of those patients, two are in the ICU, down from three Friday. Both of those patients are on a ventilator, up from one on Friday. Five other patients are still hospitalized because of COVID-19 but are out of the acute infection phase, up from four Friday. That’s a total of 16 patients, up from nine on Friday.
On today’s Morning Media Update, it’s national Blood Donor Awareness Day and we went live to the Community Blood Center to watch a long-time donor give blood and share his story. We also heard from a mother who received a life saving donation during childbirth. Plus, we heard more about what’s causing the current blood shortage crisis.
On Friday, Chelsey Smith, outreach coordinator with the Community Blood Center, appeared on the Morning Media Update with an urgent plea for blood donors. They were down to a one-day supply of the most commonly used O positive and O negative blood types. Thanks to a lot of donors over the weekend, the blood center was able to get their supply to the three-day level, but a seven-day level is what’s vital for keeping area hospitals supplied with an ever-increasing demand, especially as we head into the summer. She said donations are still down, well below pre-pandemic numbers, with about 25,000 regular donors who have not come back. She stresses blood shortages can’t become the new normal and that 600 donations a day are needed to keep up with the demand. She wants to assure all donors that giving blood is completely safe and those 16 and older are eligible, though the 16- year-olds need a parent’s permission. She also said there is no waiting time to donate blood after receiving one of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. She mentioned that those on blood thinners can’t donate. For answers to specific questions about whether you can donate, call their medical team at 800-688-0900. For answers to the most common questions or to make an appointment, go to the Community Blood Center’s website, https://savealifenow.org/.
Grant Barnes is a frequent blood donor, who also happens to work in the lab at the Community Blood Center. He talked live with us as he was donating a pint. It’s his 20th time donating, and he began long before coming to work at the blood center. He says he was inspired by his grandpa who gave more than 12 gallons in his lifetime, and by his mom who encouraged it at a young age. He says he feels completely safe donating in a pandemic and felt good after finishing his on-air gift in about 20 minutes. The entire process takes 45 minutes to an hour. He got to enjoy snacks while the staff monitored him before he went home.
Katie Pino is one of those patients who was critically ill and benefited from the generosity of many blood donors. She was delivering her baby when she suffered a laceration and needed three units of blood and two units of coagulants immediately to save her life. She realizes now what a crisis it would have been had the blood not been available. It’s convinced her to become a donor herself. She says you never know when you or someone you love will need it and she will try to pay it forward as much as she can.
Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical director of Infection Prevention and Control at The University of Kansas Health System, noted that the Delta variant of the virus is creeping up in the United States to about 10 percent now. He also discussed news that the Novavax vaccine looks to be about 90 percent effective against severe disease and death. He explained it’s a protein vaccine, and how that’s different from the others. One of the advantages is it doesn’t require specialized refrigeration, which is a big plus for many parts of the world where that’s a problem. He reminded us that COVID-19 is still very real, and there are orphans being created every day in India because of the severity of the pandemic there. He says that population would do anything to have the vaccines that we have in this country. He sees unvaccinated patients in the hospital every day and warns those who refuse to get the shot that they are putting themselves, their family, and their loved ones at risk of complications, severe disease, and death. He reminds us it’s indoor events that cause 99 percent of the infections and outdoors is much safer.
Steve Stites, MD, chief medical officer at The University of Kansas Health System, gets discouraged by people who still cling to conspiracy theories, such as one claiming 4,000 people have died from the vaccine. He says people will believe what they want to believe and it’s hard to dissuade them even when you have the facts. He calls these conspiracy theories, “just hooey,” and a product of MUNN, the “Made Up News Network.” He believes anytime you have to start thinking about a conspiracy that involves billions of people around the world, there is no way that silence can be maintained. He urges us to trust the science, adding the pandemic is not made up, and stresses vaccines will get us out of the crisis.
Tuesday, June 15 at 8:00 a.m. is the next Morning Media Update. Dr. Mario Castro, vice chair of Clinical and Translational Research at KUMC is back to update several trials underway for therapies to treat COVID-19.
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