The numbers of COVID-19 patients being treated at The University of Kansas Health System are slightly higher today. 27 patients are hospitalized, up from 26 yesterday. Eight patients are in the ICU, up from 7 yesterday. Seven patients are on ventilators, up from 6 yesterday. 35 other patients are still hospitalized because of COVID-19 but are out of the acute infection phase. That’s up from 33 yesterday. In addition, HaysMed has 19 inpatients today, up from 18 yesterday. Two patients are in the recovery phase.
Lauren Lucht, executive director of Mental & Behavioral Health at The University of Kansas Health System, offered insight today into why some people won’t wear a mask. She also discussed the impact of COVID-19 on mental and behavioral health including added stressors, anxiety, social isolation, depression and substance abuse that is crowding hospitals and community services.
Lauren Lucht believes there are two reasons some people resist mask wearing. 1) It’s inconvenient. 2) It makes us admit we’re vulnerable. She explains we try to convince ourselves we’re good people so bad things won’t happen to us, but those who think like that are in denial. She says we can’t pretend COVID-19 is just another obstacle in our lives. She’s noticed a huge improvement in mask wearing once it became a normal part of our lives. She’s also seen an increase in requests for mental health services, especially among teens, many of whom feel invincible. She says it’s important to maintain human contact, especially in the coming winter months, and provided examples of ways to stay connected. She believes the anxiety we feel now will go away and the inconvenience we feel now will pay off in the future. She understands those who are angry about mask orders and say it’s taking away their personal freedom. But she says it’s all about personal responsibility, and that will get us back to our previous life. She thinks society will look dramatically better this time next year if we all follow the pillars of infection prevention.
Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical director of infection prevention and control at The University of Kansas Health System, explained COVID-19 has many of the same symptoms of the flu. He also discussed high-risk Halloween activities, especially those in a group setting, like indoor parties and trick or treating in large groups. He emphasized there’s little risk of catching the virus by getting candy at someone’s door because the encounter is so brief. He feels hayrides are OK, as long as everyone is wearing a mask and keeps their distance on the wagon, otherwise it could be a super-spreader event. He questions the accuracy and sensitivity of drive-up testing offered by some chain stores that promise results in minutes saying the gold standard is still the nasal swab. He also says we’ve learned that COVID-19 doesn’t live on surfaces for long. He stressed that science has shown wearing masks works in stopping the spread of the virus but thinks we’re still a long way from having a full-mask culture.
Steve Stites, MD, chief medical officer at The University of Kansas Health System, discussed how hospitals are prepared for both the flu season and COVID-19. He also had advice for those who want to fly to visit families at Thanksgiving and whether it’s necessary to wear goggles in the grocery store. He believes wearing a mask is not a sign of obedience, but of love and generosity. He says our own individual actions will help science get us to the other side. He stressed that if we take action based on anger, it lands us in the ICU. But, he says, if we do the right thing, wear a mask and take care of each other, it lands us back at Arrowhead Stadium with a full house cheering for the Chiefs.
Friday, October 16 at 8:00 a.m. is the next morning media update. We answer questions we didn’t get to during the week. Amanda Gartner, director of quality and safety, will join us.
ATTENTION: media procedure for calling in:
The meeting is available by Zoom, both video and by phone. To join the Zoom Meeting by video, click https://kumc-ois.zoom.us/j/7828978628
Telephone dial-in Participants:
For those without Zoom, call 1-253-215-8782, meeting ID: 782 897 8628.
The feed is also available via TVU grid. The TVU source is UoK_Health and is being made available to all.
Feel free to send questions in advance to medicalnewsnetwork@kumc.edu.
