The number of COVID-19 patients being treated at The University of Kansas Health System is 22 … up from a low over the weekend of 18 according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, Medical Director of Infection Prevention and Control. Four patients are in the ICU … same as Friday. One remains on a ventilator. And, there are currently 35 recovering COVID-19 patients up from 30 last week. These patients are no longer in the acute infection phase, but still require hospitalization.
Dr. Kenny Southwick, Executive Director, Cooperating School Districts of Greater Kansas City joined the conversation to Update how his 31 member schools are doing now that all are back in session. He also shared a regional resource hub created by MARC (Midwest Area Regional Council) designed to share data about COVID-19 cases.
Dr. Southwick said the number one goal for all his member districts is to get all students back to the classroom with their teachers, although most schools are practicing a hybrid method of rotating in-school class time with virtual learning. He called it the new normal as everyone waits for news of an approved vaccine that is available to all. Dr. Southwick said they have seen COVID-19 cases in their schools and predicted they will continue to see cases. He talked about some districts that have paused their athletic programs due to COVID-19 concerns and commented on the recent death of an Olathe West baseball Coach. Dr. Southwick commended MARC for creating the resource hub to help guide districts with a dashboard that allows them to more easily track COVID-19 in and around their communities.
Dr. Steven Stites, Chief Medical Officer for The University of Kansas Health System said it’s a tough time for schools and parents as they work to balance public safety with the mental health and other needs of children needing to go back to class. Dr. Stites also said a letter from AstraZeneca shows the phase two/three portion of the trial has resumed following a voluntary review of safety data. Dr. Stites shared he remains optimistic a vaccine will be available in the coming months to begin the process of giving to the public.
Dr. Hawkinson answered questions about flying, the dangers of ‘passing by’ others in a crowd and the pros/cons of double masking.
Tuesday, September 15 at 8:00 a.m. Joe Reardon, President and CEO of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce is back with a call to action for the community following the recent Update with Chief Medical Officers and community leaders before the Labor Day Weekend.
