Another record number of COVID-19 patients are being treated at The University of Kansas Health System today. 84 patients are hospitalized, up from 80 yesterday. 31 patients are in the ICU, the same as yesterday. 12 patients are on ventilators, up from 11 yesterday. 42 other patients are still hospitalized because of COVID-19 but are out of the acute infection phase, down from 45 yesterday. That’s a total of 126 patients, one more than yesterday. In addition, HaysMed has 27 total COVID-19 inpatients with 3 of those patients in the recovery phase, same as yesterday,
On the Morning Media Update today was KDHE Secretary Dr. Lee Norman along with KDHE Director of Bureau of Disease and Prevention Phil Griffin. They discussed efforts to slow the infection spread as well as updated distribution plans for the vaccine.
Dr. Norman said conditions are severe around the state. He explained the biggest COVID-19 spreaders used to be nursing homes, prisons and manufacturing plants. Now, he says, it’s household contacts and social gatherings. He’s frustrated that smaller communities have been very slow to get on board with anti-contagion measures like masks and social distancing, which have been proven to work. He says hospitals only have so much influence over city or county-wide mandates. Those decisions are ultimately up to county commissioners. He feels more restrictions work better than fewer restrictions, but it’s a balancing act to keep the economy moving. His advice for Thanksgiving is keep it small, and he warns, “December will be bleak if we screw up Thanksgiving.” He also said help is on the way for smaller hospitals struggling to find other facilities to take care of their sickest COVID-19 patients. It’s a service that he likens to an air traffic control center which will facilitate transfers and transportation, and let medical staff, who often spend hours trying to place one patient, get back to patient care. He says the problem with hospitals setting up tents to handle the surge of patients is finding enough people to staff those tents. He believes the best solution for freeing up beds is to move recovering patients back to their home hospitals. For those who might be resisting the new vaccines when available, he says the medical community is really good about the science, but not so good at “social psychology.” He says it’s important not to talk down to people or tell them “Science conquers all!” Rather, human to human conversations are the best way. He also urges everyone to get a flu shot to help keep even more people out of the already crowded hospitals.
Phil Griffin outlined the plans for distributing the vaccines as soon as they are available, which could be in the next few weeks. He explained the order of who gets vaccinated and discussed some of the logistical challenges in handling the vaccines, one of which requires storing in a special freezer that reaches 70 degrees below zero. He reminded people who are hesitant to get the vaccine that we are not going to give unsafe vaccines in this country, and to listen to the facts. He also updated the outpatient treatment using monoclonal antibodies, which are already being distributed across the state.
David Wild, MD, vice president of performance improvement, pointed out that vaccines don’t save lives; vaccinations save lives, and said regardless of which vaccine you get, it will probably come in two doses several weeks apart. There will be a program for reminding people to come back for their second dose, and he said whichever of the two vaccines you receive in the first dose, you must get the same one for the second. He discussed how the current surge of COVID-19 patients has put pressure on the health system and how some patients who can safely delay surgeries for a short time are being asked to do so to handle the increasing numbers. He said regardless of the surge of patients, hospitals are not turning away those who need critical care. As far as the new rules put in place in area cities, he says anything we do is helpful, but you can’t have rules for every circumstance. He says people must follow the spirit of the rules and not look for loopholes.
Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical director of infection prevention and control at The University of Kansas Health System, said right now it looks like those who have already had COVID-19 have immunity for about 90 days, but he warns they must still wear a mask and social distance during that time as they can still be carriers of the virus. He warns that face shields alone are not enough protection for you or those around you and that you also need a mask. He anticipates the vaccine will need to be given annually, just like a flu shot.
Wednesday, November 18 at 8:00 a.m. is the next Morning Media Update. We’ll check in on Anil Gharmalker. You may recall Anil caught COVID-19 in April, was on a ventilator and has been in and out of the hospital since. He was back in yesterday for a procedure again related to his being on a ventilator. His Doctor, Shannon Kraft, will talk about what it's like to be on a ventilator from a medical point of view.
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