The University of Kansas Health System reports a spike in the number of COVID-19 patients since Friday. 33 are hospitalized today, up from 23 Friday. Ten patients are in the ICU, up from 6 Friday. Three patients are on ventilators, same as Friday. 19 other patients are still hospitalized because of COVID-19 but are out of the acute infection phase. That’s down from 22 Friday. In addition, HaysMed reports 18 inpatients, up from 17 Friday. Doctors say overall the 7-day average is down in the Metro area but expect that number to rise in the coming weeks. They also say now is the time to start planning to get a flu shot. They premiered a new public service announcement featuring Dr. Hawkinson and members of the Kansas City Royals urging us all to get a flu shot.
Dr. Marc Parrish in maternal fetal medicine joined the panel to dive deeper into the recent CDC report linking COVID-19 to pre-term and still births. He shared what he tells his patients about being pregnant during a pandemic and if now is a good time to conceive.
Dr. Parrish wants to reassure us all that the numbers of pre-term births for those with COVID-19 are not as shocking as first believed. He says on average 10 percent of all births in the U.S are pre-term, while the number rises to only 12 percent for those moms with the virus. He says the hospital has had 72 moms who tested positive and did very well. While he is hearing a lot of anxiety from his patients, he says there is no reason not to become pregnant during this time if you are motivated to attempt pregnancy. He says be wise and use your mask, social distance and be vigilant with your hygiene and odds are, you will have a healthy outcome. He also stressed the importance of pregnant moms getting their flu shot.
Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical director of infection prevention and control at The University of Kansas Health System, said it’s not realistic to expect herd immunity for COVID-19. He says that normally requires about 90 percent of the population be protected by either vaccination or previous infection. But he says only 10 percent of the population has COVID-19 and reaching 90 percent would be catastrophic. He says the better way to fight the virus is observe the pillars of infection prevention, get vaccinated when it’s available and develop better treatments for those with the disease. He had advice for parents whose children are going back to the classroom full time starting today. He also discussed the safety of social gatherings in a garage where people are social distanced. He noted that with the cooler weather we will be more at risk with activities transitioning from outdoor to indoor. And he says if you’re watching the Chiefs tonight on Monday Night Football in a group, it’s vital to stay safe.
Tuesday, September 29 at 8:00 a.m. is the next morning media update. The CDC reports that a body-mass index of 30 and above increases your risk of severe illness from COVID-19. Bariatric Surgeon Dr. Jennifer McAllaster and Psychologist Dr. Ashley Rhodes Update the risks and reasons for obesity, plus how COVID-19 is putting some people in danger of life-threatening eating disorders.
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