Another drop in the number of COVID-19 patients being treated at The University of Kansas Health System today. 34 with the active virus are being treated, down from 41 yesterday. Of those patients, 11 are in the ICU, up from nine yesterday. Four of those ICU patients are on ventilators today, down from six yesterday. 57 other patients are still hospitalized because of COVID-19 but are out of the acute infection phase, same as yesterday. That’s a total of 91 patients, down from 98 yesterday. In addition, HaysMed has a total of 18 COVID-19 inpatients, down from 19 yesterday, with seven of those active patients and 11 in the recovery phase.
On today’s Morning Media Update, Mitch Holthus, the voice of the Kansas City Chiefs, joined to talk about how the Chiefs stayed safe in their drive to the Super Bowl. KU Chancellor Dr. Doug Girod and Chris Wilson, VP of System Integration and Innovation also joined to update re-entry onto campus and answer questions about vaccinations.
The show began with Mitch Holthus saying it’s surreal to be going to the Super Bowl in back-to-back seasons and doesn’t know if even the most ardent Chiefs fans had it in their hopes and dreams. He described how the team is closely knit together, hyper focused and disciplined, which all helped them navigate the pandemic with minimal effects, unlike some other teams. He said the team had to sacrifice their personal lives and live in what he calls “quasi-quarantine” from their families for much of the season, including the bye week when they would have usually scattered around the country. He also stressed how important it is to have The University of Kansas Health System as the team’s healthcare provider and how they have helped navigate the team “through the icebergs of this pandemic.” He knows it’s disappointing the team and their fans won’t get to have a parade if they win the Super Bowl again but looks forward to the time when everyone can safely celebrate again. In a public service announcement, Holthus urges everyone to stay safe watching the Super Bowl by observing three “W’s”: Wear your mask, watch your distance and wash your hands. He’s recently added a fourth “W”: Win the Super Bowl!
Dr. Girod talked about re-entry for the KU campus as the spring semester began this week. The fall semester ended at Thanksgiving with finals online and they moved spring break to the front end of this semester. He said the lessons they learned in the fall paid off as there have been dramatically fewer cases of the virus uncovered in the mass testing, which he admitted surprised him. He discussed the vaccination plan for the campus and said he’s proud of how they figured out how to safely have football and basketball games with limited fans. He says the difference between KU and other universities which had to close their campuses last fall was the preparation and collaboration with both the health system and the Douglas County Health Department. He also urges all members of the KU community to be safe this weekend when cheering on the Chiefs.
Chris Wilson expanded on the numbers saying at this point last semester they had 450 positive cases, a 2.5% positivity rate. They have had only 75 positive cases to begin this semester, a big drop to a .5% positivity rate. He stressed vigilance is still important and we can’t get complacent. He’s noted an excellent masking culture on the campus and says that, along with limiting gatherings and observing all the pillars of infection prevention, played a big role in keeping the virus from spreading.
Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical director of Infection Prevention and Control at The University of Kansas Health System, stressed the best way to have a safe Super Bowl experience is to be careful about mixing your bubbles. He says in any group of 10 or 20 people, there’s a very good likelihood that one or two will have COVID-19, which is how super spreader events work. He also described the symptoms you might see after getting the vaccine and said they should disappear within 36-40 hours. He said the symptoms are a sign your body is mounting a defense against the virus. He also said it’s possible for the vaccine variants to independently emerge in the United States without traveling from overseas.
David Wild, MD, vice president of Performance Improvement, filled in for Dr. Stites, who is feeling much better today after vaccine symptoms kept him at home yesterday. He said those who have already had an active COVID-19 infection tend to have stronger reactions to their first dose because their body has already seen the virus. He said there’s no harm in waiting a little longer for your second dose for logistical reasons. He urges us all to remember we each have the ability and the responsibility to keep the Super Bowl from becoming a super spreader event in our community and says we need to remain disciplined and vigilant.
Friday, February 5 at 8:00 a.m. is the next Morning Media Update. As we look towards the Super Bowl weekend, Amanda Cackler is back to help answer media and community questions. We will talk about Super Bowl safety, and Chef Eric King will bring in two healthy Super Bowl recipes submitted by viewers. We look forward to tasting those.
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 1-312-626-6799, 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.