The number of COVID-19 patients at The University of Kansas Health System is holding steady today. 35 patients are being treated for the virus, up from 34 yesterday. 11 of those patients are in the ICU, up from 9 yesterday. Five patients are on ventilators, same as yesterday. Doctors are glad to see the numbers holding steady and hope the recent mask mandates will help those numbers fall.
Dr. Joseph McGuirk, Division Director, Hematologic Malignancies and Cellular Therapeutics Medical Director, Blood and Marrow Transplant, joined with psychologist Dr. Elizabeth Muenks (Monks) to talk about how for many cancer patients their quarantine hasn’t ended while others are getting back to life. Dr. McGuirk shares some lessons we can all learn from this population of patients.
Dr. McGuirk says for the blood cancer patients he treats, wearing a mask is something they’ve been doing for decades because of their compromised immune systems. He says they have been used to living their lives in quarantine so taking precautions against COVID-19 is nothing new. He also described what he calls an exciting new clinical trial in which a patient’s blood cells are removed, re-engineered in a lab to kill cancer cells, and put back in the body. He says it’s “remarkable” that half of the patients with this treatment have complete remission of their cancer. He’s even more excited because the same treatment is moving toward solid tissue tumors such as breast, kidney and liver cancers. He says at the moment, there are no cancer drugs that are known to work against COVID-19. He reminds us that Americans rallied in World War II to make sacrifices and we need the same national effort today to beat the disease. He says we should all have hope because so many people are trying to do the right things.
Dr. Muenks sees a higher anxiety level in her cancer patients about COVID-19. But she says the resiliency many have already developed in fighting cancer is “phenomenal” in helping them cope with the virus. She says when it comes to mask wearing, many people who refuse to do so seek evidence that confirms their beliefs instead of trusting proven science that it works. She understands change is difficult, citing the ban on indoor smoking as an example. But she reminds us that mask wearing is a selfless act that helps others. She agrees that 30 days of doing anything will make it a habit and thinks mask wearing is the same. She says finding hope, whether fighting cancer or COVID-19, is “critically important.”
Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical director of infection prevention and control at The University of Kansas Health System, spent time at the beginning describing in detail all the pillars of infection prevention, and why they will help us beat the pandemic. He stressed that it’s now scientifically proven that masks work to stop the spread of the virus. He says we’re trying at “warp speed” to make a culture change, and we should remember that it’s not about rights but about health. He discussed steps those who must go back to work, like teachers, can take to keep safe. He says compared to where we were three or four months ago, we are much better off and reminded us a vaccination is coming, starting with the clinical trials in a couple of weeks.
Steve Stites, MD, chief medical officer of The University of Kansas Health System, said in addition to wearing a mask, we should all remember that big group gatherings are bad, and are responsible for the recent resurgence of the virus. He reminded us we all need to take care of each other during the pandemic.
Friday, July 31 at 8:00 a.m. is the next daily briefing call. Royals team physician and health system orthopedic surgeon Dr. Vince Key joins us on the day of the team’s home opener to talk about how different major league baseball looks this year. Also, doctors answer community 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
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.
