The University of Kansas Health System reports a big drop in the number of active COVID-19 patients over the holiday weekend, and some of the lowest numbers since the pandemic began. Two are being treated, down from six on Friday. Of those patients, one is in the ICU, the same as Friday. Eight other patients are still hospitalized because of COVID-19 but are out of the acute infection phase, down from 12 on Friday. That’s a total of 10 patients, down from 18 on Friday. HaysMed has two active patients, up from one on Friday.
On today’s Morning Media Update, Dr. Jeff Burns, co-director of the Kansas University Alzheimer's Disease Center, had an update of the impact of COVID-19 on their patients, plus news of a new drug that could receive FDA approval June 7.
Dr. Burns said COVID-19 has had a big impact on Alzheimer’s patients, because it’s hit nursing homes the hardest, with 30-40 percent of all deaths. He also explained why the pandemic has had such a big impact on their caregivers. He says there is evidence that the social isolation from the pandemic has caused a greater and faster decline in Alzheimer’s patients. But he says there may be great news on the horizon. If the FDA green lights Aducanumab, (Ah- do-Can u mab) in a vote next Monday, it will be the first new Alzheimer's drug in nearly 19 years. He calls the development a “new day for us,” because current drugs only treat the symptoms of the disease, while this new drug has the potential to slow the changes in the brain that are associated with Alzheimer’s. He says if approved, it will “change the game in terms of how we diagnose and treat Alzheimer’s.” He described how the drug works as an antibody against amyloid, a substance that builds in in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. In trials, the drug has been shown safe with minimal side effects. Alzheimer’s, he adds, is “incredibly common,” affecting one in ten over the age of 65 and one in three over age 85. It’s classified as a subset of dementia, and he noted the brain shrinks with age starting around age 30, not just because of Alzheimer’s. He’s been studying the effects of exercise on Alzheimer’s patients for years and feels any exercise that pushes the heart and lung function can help ward off or reduce the effect of Alzheimer’s. He adds that lifestyle is very important, saying diet and exercise, sleep and stress reduction can really help brain function. He also cautioned against taking supplements for Alzheimer’s saying despite great marketing claims, none have been proven effective.
Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical director of Infection Prevention and Control, says the low numbers tell us vaccinations work, especially now that young teens are eligible. He adds we know you can be reinfected with the virus, and the best data signals you have the highest immunity from vaccination rather than from getting COVID-19. He pointed out that the new Alzheimer’s drug was tested on only a couple of thousand people and took years to be ready for market, while the COVID-19 vaccines, unlike most trials, were tested on 70,000 people expeditiously but in the right manner for safety and were able to be approved within a year. He believes the overwhelming safety data of the COVID-19 vaccines makes the remaining hesitancy surprising
Steve Stites, MD, chief medical officer at The University of Kansas Health System, says the numbers are encouraging, especially with people going back to restaurants and taking off masks. He thinks outdoor events like the 30,000 people gathered at Liberty Memorial yesterday will not be the super-spreader events we feared a year ago, since most outdoor events are safer now. He’s also excited at the report of Moderna applying for full FDA approval of its vaccine and believes it, along with the Pfizer vaccine, will both be approved. He adds we may know by July whether the J&J vaccine will end up being two shots.
Wednesday, June 2 at 8:00 a.m. is the next Morning Media Update. KCK Mayor and CEO of the Unified Government David Alvey returns to update the progress in the city and Wyandotte County regarding the infection and vaccination rates as well as the mask mandate that expired right before the holiday weekend.
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 1-312-626-6799, meeting ID: 782 897 8628.
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Feel free to send questions in advance to medicalnewsnetwork@kumc.edu.
