The number of active COVID-19 patients being treated at The University of Kansas Health System is creeping back up today. 93 people with the active virus are hospitalized, up from 89 yesterday. 47 patients are in the ICU, same as yesterday. 28 of those ICU patients are on ventilators today, up from 26 yesterday. 62 other patients are still hospitalized because of COVID-19 but are out of the acute infection phase, down from 64 yesterday. That’s a total of 155 patients, down from 156 yesterday. In addition, HaysMed has a total of 31 COVID-19 inpatients, down from 33 yesterday, with 28 of those active patients and 3 in the recovery phase.
Doctors think is will still be a few weeks before we see the full effect of Thanksgiving gatherings. They also worry about the short time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, which could be an even bigger time of spreading the virus.
On the Morning Media Update today was U.S. Senator Jerry Moran from Kansas who joined from Washington, D.C. and talked about the vaccine, legislative relief efforts and answered questions from news media and viewers.
Senator Moran said it’s a week to celebrate with the expected approval of the first vaccine for COVID-19, which he reminds us was developed so quickly with the help of $10 billion from the CARES Act. He says it was smart to begin manufacturing the vaccine before final approval so it can be quickly distributed upon approval. He explained the tight security around shipping and protecting the vaccines in Kansas. He also discussed the next phase of economic assistance currently being debated in Congress. His hope and expectation is it will include extending the Paycheck Protection Program for small businesses, extending unemployment insurance and stimulus payments to individuals. He believes we can’t afford a shutdown of society again and says we must get over the political debate about masks by recognizing their value. To those who have told him they won’t wear a mask and that “God will protect me,” he says the other side of that is the commandment to “Love thy neighbor.” He trusts the science and the medicine said vows to publicly get vaccinated when it’s his turn. He’s excited at the prospect of meeting his new grandchildren once it’s safe and says the vaccine will help us be human beings with one another again.
Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical director of Infection Prevention and Control at the health system, says it’s remarkable how quickly the vaccine was developed, tested and brought to the public. He addressed reports of allergic reactions by two patients in the UK. He also said to be cautious about a new 15-minute home test that’s becoming available and had an update on the current treatments for those with COVID-19. He says right now is a time for both optimism and caution and not to let down our guard.
Steve Stites, MD, chief medical officer at the health system, says he actually started to cry when he read the data on how effective the vaccine is. He expects to start vaccinations next week. He’s not concerned about its safety and believes the full data will back him up. He points out there’s far more risk from the disease than from the vaccine. He calls this, “The beginning of a new beginning,” in our fight against the virus and says today will mark a special day in American history. But he reminds us we must still observe the pillars of infection prevention until most of the population has been vaccinated and we’ve stopped the disease. That, he says, will be sometime next year.
Friday, December 11 at 8:00 a.m. is the next Morning Media Update. Dr. Tim Williamson, our VP of Quality and Safety, joins us to talk about preparations here at the health system to receive the vaccine. And, we will catch up and review vaccine questions from the media and the community.
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.
