More reason for cautious optimism in the daily media briefing from The University of Kansas Health System. The number of inpatients being treated in the hospital for COVID-19 has dropped from 31 yesterday to 29 today. Of those, 12 are in the ICU, down from 15 yesterday. Nine patients are on ventilators.
Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer at the health system says we have flattened the curve, at least in the Kansas City area. He says that’s great news, and we’re showing the rest of the country how to do it. But he also says the biggest mistake we can make is going back to normal too soon, as we still have a long way to go before this pandemic is considered under control. His best advice is don’t count the days. Instead make every day count.
Joining the panel was Stephen Lauer, M.D., PhD, associate chair of pediatrics at The University of Kansas Health System. He made the point that it’s still vital that parents bring their children to the doctor’s office for their scheduled vaccinations, something that can’t be done with a telehealth visit. He says children seem to do better than the elderly and don’t seem to get as sick from COVID-19. He also stressed early reports that children should not be treated for COVID-19 with ibuprofen have proven false, and that it’s OK to give it to them for COCID-19 symptoms.
Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical director of infectious prevention and control at The University of Kansas Health System said data suggests sheltering at home is helping blunt the curve. He advises caution in deciding to go to one of the antibody testing clinics popping up around town, as current testing isn’t FDA approved and can’t distinguish between different kinds of viruses. He addresses whether plasma from a recovered COVID-19 patient is helpful for a current patient. And he stresses that while clinical trials are underway, there’s still no evidence that any of the current drugs available for other conditions is effective in treating or preventing COVID-19.
Wednesday, April 15, at 8:00 a.m. is the next daily briefing call and will include Dr. Ronald Chen, chair of radiation oncology, who will talk about cancer patients and COVID-19. The feed is now available via TVU grid. The TVU source is UoK_Health and is being made available to all. You will still need to call-in to ask questions.
Telephone dial-in Participants:
Dial: 1-913-588-2222, and enter 50041981# when prompted for the Call ID. Feel free to send questions in advance to medicalnewsnetwork@kumc.edu.
