The number of COVID-19 patients at The University of Kansas Health System is fairly steady today. 13 patients with the active virus are being treated, up from 12 yesterday. Five of those patients are in the ICU, up from four yesterday, with four of those patients on ventilators, up from three yesterday. One very sick patient is on an ECMO device to stay alive. Eight other patients are still hospitalized because of COVID-19 but are out of the acute infection phase, down from nine yesterday. That’s a total of 21 patients, the same as yesterday. HaysMed has one patient today. Doctors noted there has not been a COVID-related death in the health system since June 19.
On today’s Morning Media Update, the Olathe Fire Department gave a demonstration on the dangers of fireworks. Also, the medical director of our burn unit, Dr. Dhaval Bhavsar, joined with advice on what to do and what NOT to do if you or someone you love gets injured and shared some stories about the terrible injuries he’s seen.
Before getting into today’s topic, doctors discussed an announcement by the World Health Organization urging fully vaccinated people to continue wearing masks in light of the rapid spread of the Delta variant. The doctors felt the organization had to speak to the whole world, and the advice may not apply to everyone. They also talked about the chances Springfield, Missouri may have to reimpose restrictions in light of the big COVID-19 outbreak there. In just the last month, the Delta variant has gone from 10 percent of new infections in Kansas and Missouri to 65-75 percent today. And they discussed a report about the effectiveness of the single-dose J&J vaccine against the Delta variant.
Mark Wassom is Fire Marshall and Assistant Chief of Community Risk Reduction with the Olathe Fire Department. He said every Fourth of July in the US, there are 9,000 fireworks injuries and 19,000 fires caused by fireworks. Last year’s numbers were even higher because families did their own fireworks at home with public displays canceled. All fireworks are illegal in Olathe, and many cities in the Metro area, and he advises everyone to see a professional show. For those who do fireworks at home, he demonstrated that one of the most dangerous is sparklers, which most people don’t realize can burn at 1200 degrees. He lit one and briefly touched it to a hot dog to show how quickly it can burn human flesh. He also lit another kind of sparkler called a Morning Glory and held it next to a synthetic shirt to show how quickly it can melt the material and bind with the skin, causing massive burns. His best advice is never throw or hold fireworks in your hand.
Dr. Bhavsar has seen some horrible injuries from fireworks over the years, including a record-high 42 last year with so many people setting them off at home. Many times it is a curious kid standing over a firecracker that didn’t go off…and then it does! His advice is if it doesn’t go off, let it go. One of the most heartbreaking injuries he’s seen is a kid who had his whole hand blown off by a mortar. Most of the time it’s people with deep burns that take a long time, if ever, to heal. He says the worst combination is alcohol and fireworks, as many of people who are injured are not as careful after having a few drinks. He would be very happy to see few patients over the upcoming July 4th weekend.
Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical director of Infection Prevention and Control at The University of Kansas Health System, believes even with the Delta variant, schools will be safer this fall, as long as the adults and children 12 and older are vaccinated. He thinks the approval for those younger to be vaccinated may come right before school starts. He says masking indoors is still necessary for those unvaccinated. Those going to outdoor fireworks shows should be safer, especially if they can socially distance from others. Likewise, going to a Royals game should be safe because the virus doesn’t spread as easily outdoors. He cautions that Springfield is going through some hard times, and for us to avoid being like them, we need to have as many in the Metro area vaccinated as possible.
Steve Stites, MD, chief medical officer at The University of Kansas Health System, thinks some places in the world will go back into lockdown mode because of the Delta variant and not enough people are vaccinated to keep it from spreading. He urges everyone to make good choices this holiday weekend, “because making good choices brings tomorrow to you in a way that you can enjoy it, as opposed to suffering.” He urges us all to take care of ourselves and those we love by getting vaccinated and staying safe.
Wednesday, June 30 at 8:00 a.m. is the next Morning Media Update. We will hear from area hospital Chief Medical Officers who have checked in throughout this pandemic. Dr. Larry Botts from Advent Health, Dr. Raghu Adiga from Liberty Health and Dr. Mark Steele with Truman Medical Centers University Health. They have all been experiencing a little pick up in numbers. We'll find out how they're sitting going into a holiday weekend.
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