Another slight dip today in the number of COVID-19 patients at The University of Kansas Health System. 16 patients are being treated for the virus, down from 17 yesterday. Three are on ventilators, up from two yesterday. Doctors report while the health system is discharging patients daily, new patients are being admitted daily. They worry admissions will outpace discharges soon if trends around the Metro area and the country continue.
KDHE Secretary Dr. Lee Norman joined the panel to walk us through state mandated mask wearing that take effect in two days. Dr. Joseph LeMaster, Johnson County Public Health Officer and Tracey Osborn Oltjen, President of the Overland Park Chamber of Commerce spoke on how the business community and county is taking the news.
At the beginning of the briefing, Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical director of infection prevention and control at The University of Kansas Health System, showed an animation produced by Florida Atlantic University that graphically illustrates how far droplets travel without a mask, while wearing a cloth mask or bandana and while wearing a professional grade mask. It’s easy to see what a difference any mask will make in helping stop the spread of the virus. He reminds us we’re not wearing masks for ourselves but to protect others. He says you can spread the disease without knowing you have it and wearing a mask will require a massive culture change. He says new universal masking requirements like the ones for the State of Kansas, Wyandotte County and Kansas City will be a big help. He also said it’s too soon to know if we’ll develop antibody immunity to the disease.
Dr. Norman explained the final language on the statewide mask order is still being worked out, but the intent is for everyone to wear a mask in public places and outdoor places where social distancing can’t be maintained. He hopes there will be willing compliance but admits it will be a struggle. He says it’s frustrating to hear of those who are not taking it seriously and think the magnitude of the response outweighs the risk to them personally. He realizes it will be a hard sell in rural areas where there is not as much community spread of the disease. He hopes the state will be “not tough, but aggressively helpful” in enforcing the new orders. He says while some look for ways to get around the rules, many comply because it’s the right thing to do. He believes this is vital to combat the 2,000 new cases every week in Kansas, mostly in younger people.
Dr. LeMaster thinks the current reversal in numbers is due to younger people gathering in bars, restaurants and other large groups without masks or social distancing. He anticipates a drain on critical care resources if the current upward trend continues. He says Johnson County has always “suggested” mask wearing but agrees it’s time for the new rules requiring it. He doesn’t think a mask is a “magic bullet” for stopping the disease, but one part of the whole plan to keep the virus from spreading. Yet he says it’s been proven that when people wear masks, the number of COVID-19 cases goes down. He says the health department is working on plans for schools to reopen, and believes there needs to be a county-wide policy in place which outlines safety procedures for all schools.
Tracey Osborn Oltjen says 70% of all businesses already require some form of mask wearing, mostly among employees. Some require it of customers. She says at first, businesses were reluctant to require masks. But she thinks that’s starting to change as many of them beg the state not to close them again. They say if universal masking will keep their business open, then they’ll do it. She’s currently surveying several hundred businesses on the new rules and will share those results with policy makers.
Thursday, July 1 at 8:00 a.m. is the next daily briefing call. Dr. Jessica Kalender-Rich is back in her new capacity as a national member of the Coronavirus Commission for Safety and Quality in Nursing Homes. Together with Dr. Hawkinson, they take your questions. We get a lot of unanswered questions throughout the week … doctors will tackle going into the weekend and remind folks to maintain the pillars of infection prevention and control.
ATTENTION: media procedure for calling in:
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For those without Zoom, call 1-253-215-8782, meeting ID: 782 897 8628.
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