The number of COVID-19 patients at The University of Kansas Health System is slightly higher today. 12 patients with the active virus are being treated, up from 11 yesterday. Two of those patients are in the ICU, the same as yesterday. Both are on a ventilator, up from one yesterday. Ten other patients are still hospitalized because of COVID-19 but are out of the acute infection phase, the same as yesterday. That’s a total of 22 patients, up from 21 yesterday. HaysMed has one patient today.
On today’s Morning Media Update, we heard from more long haulers. Daniel Freeman is a chaplain here at the health system and has been suffering from his bout with COVID-19 for a long time. He shared his story along with Amber Styles, who is also an employee here at the health system in risk management. Both had different stories with COVID-19, and both have suffered long haul symptoms.
Before getting into today’s topic, doctors discussed the worsening situation for COVID-19 in Springfield, Missouri. Hospitals there are being flooded with unvaccinated, young, otherwise healthy patients who contracted the disease. The average age is 42, much lower than the 60’s here at the health system. The Delta variant, which is not as selective about age as the original Wuhan virus, is the main culprit. They say it’s one reason why Missouri is seeing the fastest rising number of cases in the country. Doctors also discussed the CDC advisory committee’s study of myocarditis, or heart inflammation, in younger adults who have had the mRNA vaccine. The cases are one in 500,000 and are all very mild with no deaths. If the condition occurs, it’s usually within two weeks of vaccination and goes away quickly without leaving any severe disease. Signs to look for include a feeling of being faint, irregular heartbeat, chest discomfort or shortness of breath. Doctors say there’s no comparison between the risk from the vaccine compared to the risk of getting COVID-19.
Amber Styles knows exactly when she got COVID-19. Last October, when she picked up a friend to carpool to work, she let her guard down and took off her mask. Turns out the friend had the virus and their 30 minutes in the car were enough to pass it to Amber. She describes how her symptoms gradually worsened until one morning while working from home she felt like she just wanted to lay on the floor and take a nap. A test confirmed COVID-19. Since then, fatigue has been the worst part, but she also described the cough, the debilitating headaches and finally, like many people, the loss of taste and smell. For two months after that, brain fog and lack of focus were constant problems. She finally got vaccinated and said the effects began to subside afterward. Her taste and smell gradually returned, though some things still taste odd. She still wears a mask in church and in the grocery store and said even though she feels better today, the exhaustion is still there.
Chaplain Freeman remembers when COVID-19 first hit him, way back in March of 2020, when the pandemic was just starting. He was working the night shift at the health system when he felt a fatigue around 9:30 that he’d never felt in his life. He knew it was serious when he felt so bad he had to get a substitute to teach Sunday School at the church where he’s a pastor. He went to the emergency department and spent seven days in the hospital with breathing problems, worried he might have to be put on a ventilator. Fortunately it didn’t come to that, but he did have to retire from his job with the fire department. He too says he felt better after getting his second vaccination but has been battling long haul symptoms for more than a year. He says he has some good days but has to be careful not to overdo it on those days because it takes a couple of days to recover. He says he’s “trying to learn my body all over again.” He admits he was vaccine hesitant at first, but as a pastor, he felt the need to lead by example, and as a result, he’s proud to say 95 percent of his church is vaccinated, though they still require masks and take temperatures of those who attend. He understands why some are hesitant about the vaccine, thinking it came out too quickly. But he believes too many people think they know more than scientists and says that, combined with politics, is keeping them from the vaccination. He warns everyone that COVID-19 and long haul symptoms are very real.
Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical director of Infection Prevention and Control at The University of Kansas Health System, said stories of COVID-19 patients feeling better after being vaccinated are common and there is a study looking into that improvement. He thinks it’s a shame politics has played such a big part in the pandemic, and that it didn’t have to. He says, “This is a medical issue, it’s fairly black and white.” He stresses that the vaccine is safe and the fact that the virus is now mainly affecting young unvaccinated people should be enough to prompt everyone to get their shots.
Steve Stites, MD, chief medical officer at The University of Kansas Health System, thinks Fourth of July celebrations will be safe, especially if you stay outdoors. He thinks the vaccines will get full FDA approval soon, which he says will be a “game changer.” He says the Delta variant is not new in the Metro area, is more transmissible than the original virus and the vaccines give us protection from it. He also discussed whether some transplant patients may need a third dose of the vaccine because of their immunocompromised condition. He said we should always try to separate the science from the made up news and promises to continue telling the truth every day on this program.
Friday, June 25 at 8:00 a.m. is the next Morning Media Update. We will introduce you to Max Huntley, who recently had his 12th birthday. You'll never guess what he wanted! Hint: he got it at the Hy-Vee pharmacy in Jefferson City Missouri.
Max joins us with his parents to share his story. And, Lance Williamson, Infection Prevention and Control Nurse Supervisor, will join to help answer your questions.
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
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