The number of COVID-19 patients at The University of Kansas Health System is slightly higher today. 13 people with the active virus are being treated, up from 12 yesterday. Of those patients, five are in the ICU, the same as yesterday. Two of those patients are on ventilators, same as yesterday. 12 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 25 patients, up from 24 yesterday. HaysMed reports three total COVID-19 patients today, same as yesterday, and all three are active cases.
On today’s Morning Media Update, the main topic was the pause in distribution of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine due to some people reporting blood clots. KDHE Secretary Dr. Lee Norman addressed that as well as the variants, vaccine hesitancy and what he thinks about COVID-19 passports.
Dr. Norman announced the pause in the J & J vaccine distribution in Kansas, which is in line with a joint recommendation from the FDA and the CDC. He says while the numbers of blood clots are “quite small,” six people out of the nearly seven million who have received the vaccine, he adds, “You can’t turn a blind eye to something as significant as that.” He explained the clots had all occurred in women between 18 and 48 years old, none in Kansas, and all occurred in the veins in your skull base, as opposed to the legs or lungs where most clots occur. He says investigators will look closely at each of the six cases for any similarities and to see if there were other common factors besides the vaccine. He says this pause will not have a big impact on distribution in the state, as they were not getting as much of the J & J vaccine yet. He urges the vaccine hesitant not to let this be an excuse for refusing to get any vaccine. As for virus variants, he says Kansas has not seen a marked uptick, but the state is constantly vigilant and can respond quickly with mobile units and a strike team in case of a variant outbreak. He reported 1.6 million doses have been given, though he says testing continues to decline which concerns him. He feels widespread testing is still needed, saying, “the wildfires are essentially put out, but there are still hot spots that flare up.” As for so called “vaccine passports,” he says while it might make sense for certain businesses, “We have not taken those steps in the state of Kansas yet.”
Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical director of Infection Prevention and Control at The University of Kansas Health System, said the pause is a sign that the country’s vaccine safety mechanisms are working and a great example of identifying a possible bad side effect or safety concern. “There are people up and awake 24 hours a day looking for these types of things to make sure that it is safe for the people receiving the vaccines in your community, in the country, in the world.” He said if you were going to have blood clots from the vaccine, it would happen within two to 13 days, and described the symptoms of these clots as headache and increased sinus pressure. That differs from clots in the legs, which include leg pain and swelling or a clot in the lung which most often includes shortness of breath or a cough. He reminds us that the vaccines are not meant to keep you from getting COVID-19, but they are proven to prevent serious illness, hospitalization and death.
David Wild, MD, VP of Performance Improvement, sat in for Dr. Stites. He says the news about J & J has no effect on the health system, as they have not received any of that vaccine. He mentioned there are still 6500 appointments available here this week. If you are an established patient, you can register in MyChart. If not, you can go to kansashealthsystem.com/vaccine or call 913-588-1227. He reminds us that even if you individually are vaccinated, only half of the adult population in Kansas has had a single vaccine. He says what we’re seeing is that every one person in the state who’s infected is infecting just over one other, which is why the disease is not going away. He believes we’ll get there, and says, “There is absolutely an impact individually and collectively to our community from vaccination.”
Wednesday, April 14 at 8:00 a.m. is the next Morning Media Update. Catherine Satterwhite, regional health administrator for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will give us a regional view of the infection and vaccination rates plus offer her thoughts on vaccine passports and how to carry or care for your vaccination card.
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