The number of COVID-19 patients being treated at The University of Kansas Health System tied the record today. 40 patients are hospitalized, equal to the record set last week. This is up from 35 yesterday. 16 patients are in the ICU, up from 14 yesterday. Eight patients are on ventilators, the same as yesterday. 33 other patients are still hospitalized because of COVID-19 but are out of the acute infection phase. That’s up from 31 yesterday. In addition, HaysMed has 17 total COVID-19 inpatients today, same as yesterday, with 1 of those patients in the recovery phase. The doctors pointed out that the rolling seven-day average of new patients in the Kansas City area is now 600 a day compared to 364 patients a day as recently as Oct. 25.
On today’s Morning Media Update, KU Professor Donna Ginther joined us to update her research on mask mandates. We also heard from Julie Wilkowski, a 38-year-old mother of two who caught COVID-19. She shared her experience and how it affected the entire family.
Professor Ginther decided to see how effective mask mandates have been in the Kansas cities which have enacted them. It turns out they’re very effective in stopping the spread of COVID-19. Her study showed the counties that enacted the mandates had a decrease in cases 14 days later while the non-masking counties have shown a steady increase. Overall, she says, the masking counties have had a 50 percent decrease in COVID-19 cases. She says while masking slows the spread of the virus it doesn’t eliminate it. But she says it’s still the most potent weapon in our arsenal against COVID-19. She pointed to the example of Douglas County, home of the KU campus, which mandated masks, and took the extra step of closing or limiting the hours of bars and restaurants. The county has one of the lowest rates of infection in the state. She says wearing a mask allows for a more open economy.
Julie Wilkowski and her husband met friends at a restaurant for dinner on a Saturday in October. Cass County, where the restaurant is located, does not have a mask mandate, but she and her husband wore masks until they were actually eating. She felt fine until three days later on Tuesday when she began feeling horrible chills and by Wednesday was even worse. She got tested at a pharmacy and was barely out the door when she was called saying she was positive. Two days later her husband also tested positive. Some of her friends from the restaurant gathering also began showing symptoms by Tuesday. She works from home, but still had many family arrangements to make while she isolated at home. She recovered and says it was a mild case, but still has some breathing problems. She said the ordeal affected her children the most, even though they did not get it, because they also had to quarantine and were not able to go trick or treating. She says having family and supportive friends to help made a huge difference in her recovery.
Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical director of infection prevention and control at The University of Kansas Health System, says according to the CDC, the chance of getting COVID-19 doubles when in a group gathering, like a restaurant. He also says the flu has not really hit Kansas City so far this year. He advised getting the injectable flu vaccine with the inactive virus for most people. The inhaled flu vaccine is effective and safe, except for those with compromised immune systems, because it uses a live virus. He also said it’s much easier to get a COVID-19 test now without symptoms if you only suspect exposure because testing capacity has improved greatly.
Steve Stites, MD, chief medical officer at The University of Kansas Health System, says bed capacity is the biggest concern for all hospitals. Right now, he says, 10 percent of the health system’s patients are COVID-19 patients. But he says real hope is on the way with a vaccine and with monoclonal antibodies, which can prevent the disease from worsening. He warned that if a mask is not worn correctly, your breath cloud can still spread. He also says flying is safe if you wear a mask and eye protection because the airflow in a plane is good. It’s the crowed airport he worries about. He says driving is still the safest way to travel. He says we bent the curve before, and we can do it again by following the pillars of infection prevention.
Wednesday, November 4 at 8:00 a.m. is the next morning media update. Our VP of Support Operations Jeff Novorr is going to share best practices here at the Health System that his teams use every day to feed patients, visitors and employees safely. These are tips you can use with your families this Thanksgiving holiday if you plan to get together.
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.