A slight increase today in the number of COVID-19 patients being treated at The University of Kansas Health System. 24 are in the hospital, up from 23 yesterday. Nine of those patients are in the ICU, down from 10 yesterday, with 6 on ventilators, up from 3 yesterday. 33 patients are still hospitalized but are out of the acute infection phase.
It’s back-to-school week at The University of Kansas, and Chancellor Dr. Doug Girod joined to update how reopening during the pandemic is going. Joining him was Chris Wilson, VP of Systems Innovation and Integration at The University of Kansas Health System who helped oversee COVID-19 testing for everyone on campus.
Chancellor Girod said classes got off to a solid start this week and explained the preparation that’s gone into making that happen. He described how 250 buildings and 600 classrooms have been adjusted to allow for safe use by both students and teachers. He said professors have spent the summer revamping their courses to accommodate students wherever they are. Half the classes are online, a third are hybrid and 18% are in person. He also described the extensive COVID-19 testing that’s allowed the campus to reopen. He answered media questions about what sanctions might be made against students who break the safety protocols, and at what point they may decide to move all classes online. He says so far, with fewer people walking around on campus, it’s felt like a summer semester. He explained that once the initial testing is done, the emphasis will shift to maintaining the low rate and educating everyone on how to do that. He says the best source of current information for the campus is the website protect.ku.edu.
Chris Wilson said after 20,000 tests at KU, 222 have been positive for the virus, a 1.14% positivity rate. Only six faculty members have tested positive for a .15% positivity rate. He’s concerned with the Greek population, whose members have tested at a 5.47% positive rate. He says it’s critical the Greeks, as well as everyone on campus, follow the rules, which include masks everywhere, both inside and outside, and no large gatherings. For now, he says that includes campus sporting events. He says the campus must be safe before allowing fans in the stands. He notes the athletes have done a great job in making adjustments, following the rules and keeping safe in order to play.
Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical director of infection prevention and control at The University of Kansas Health System, said on a campus the size of KU, it all comes down to personal responsibility to keep COVID-19 under control. He pointed out that in Kansas City, the good news is that overall, the COVID-19 numbers are down. He says it’s all up to us to do the individual right thing to get the disease under control until a vaccine is ready.
Steve Stites, MD, chief medical officer at The University of Kansas Health System, says we’re all suffering from COWS, Covid Weariness Syndrome. He says we all want to get back to normal and gather with our friends. But he says, “You have to fight for your right to party,” and the only way to get there is follow the rules of society and infection control today.
Thursday, August 27 at 8:00 a.m. is the next morning media update. Having trouble sleeping? Feeling anxious and stressed? Want to boost your immune system? Clinical Dietician Tara Marchello has a shopping list to help with all three during a pandemic.
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 1-253-215-8782, meeting ID: 782 897 8628.
The feed is also available via TVU grid. The TVU source is UoK_Health and is being made available to all.
Feel free to send questions in advance to medicalnewsnetwork@kumc.edu.
