The University of Kansas Health System reports a rise in the number of COVID-19 patients today. 13 people with the active virus are being treated, up from eight yesterday. Of those patients, seven are in the ICU, up from six yesterday. Three of those patients are on ventilators, same as yesterday. 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, up from 17 yesterday. HaysMed reports a total of four COVID-19 patients today, with three active and one in the recovery phase, same as yesterday.
On today’s Morning Media Update, the pandemic has been challenging for cancer patients as they navigate treatment and the best time to get vaccinated. This is especially true for patients with blood cancers. Dr. Joseph McGuirk, Division Director, Hematologic Malignancies and Cellular Therapeutics and Medical Director Blood and Marrow Transplant and Dr. Ala Ola Abdallah, Director of Plasma Cell Disorders joined to share how the pandemic is impacting their patients.
Dr. McGuirk says the pandemic has been “incredibly impactful” on the stem cell transplant and leukemia patients he treats, with a mortality rate that’s been “devastating.” Seven of those transplant patients who were in complete remission have died from COVID-19. He says the mortality rate for hospitalized patients with blood cancers is 30-35 percent, and he advises all of his patients to get the vaccine, though he says they may not have as robust an immune response as the general public. That’s why he says it’s vital for family members to be vaccinated and to observe the measures of infection prevention that these patients have lived with since long before the pandemic. He also describes CAR T-cell therapy, which he calls a “paradigm shift in cancer treatment.” The FDA-approved treatment utilizes a patient’s own T-cells and reengineers them to seek out and destroy blood cancers. Illnesses that used to have only a seven percent survival rate now have an 80 percent rate. And he says it’s just the beginning. There are now trials underway to see how well this therapy works on solid tumors such as breast, colon and pancreatic cancer. He calls it, “the most exciting time in the history of cancer therapeutics, in my opinion.”
Dr. Ala Ola Abdallah treats many patients with multiple myeloma, another type of blood cancer. They too are more susceptible to COVID-19 because they are immune compromised and he wants them all to be vaccinated, but says the timing of the shot is critical and needs to be worked out by their medical team. He has not seen any of his patients develop clots after taking any of the vaccines. He explained that CAR T-cell therapy has become a game changer for these patients as well, with a response rate of 75 percent after only one treatment and 33 percent of the patients going into complete remission, all with a much better quality of life. He calls that a “Great revolutionary treatment.”
Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical director of Infection Prevention and Control at The University of Kansas Health System, said the average age of hospitalized COVID-19 patients is dropping. The current range in the health system is 40 to 74. He explained that someone who received the J & J vaccine a few weeks ago doesn’t need to get a random blood draw to check for platelets or clotting. He says it’s better to monitor for symptoms, which should appear within three weeks, if at all. He says there will be so-called “breakthrough patients,” who get the virus after being fully vaccinated, but their symptoms will be much less severe. As for travel, he says he would not leave the United States right now, but as long as everyone observes the pillars of infection prevention it should be safe.
Steve Stites, MD, chief medical officer at the University of Kansas Health System, says he’s a little nervous about what some cities and counties are going to start doing with masking requirements since numbers are down. He says too many are trying to move ahead of where the science is. 50 percent of the country has had at least one vaccination, and while he calls that “a good number, it’s not where we need to be.” He reminds us we need to be closer to 80 or 90 percent vaccinated to be safe. He urges us to “trust the science” which has brought us these vaccines with remarkable speed and effectiveness. He says it’s the same science which brought us the life-saving CAR T-cell therapy.
Wednesday, April 21 at 8:00 a.m. is the next Morning Media Update. We have the founder of the COVID Care Force. Dr. Gary Morsch created the Care Force one year ago to bring volunteer doctors and nurses together to care for vulnerable populations. He has a remarkable story to share about his experiences with Navajo and Chickasaw nations, in particular, and what we can learn from them.
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