The number of COVID-19 patients at The University of Kansas Health System heading into the weekend is 14 active, five patients in the IC, two on ventilators and 11 patients in the recovery stage for a total of 25 patients. Last Friday there were a total of nine COVID-19 patients. HaysMed reports its first active patient in more than a week.
On today’s Morning Media Update, Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical director of Infection Prevention and Control at The University of Kansas Health System, was joined by Amanda Cackler, Director of Quality and Safety at the health system. Also joining were health system Chaplain Clarence Miller and Broderick Crawford, President of New Bethel Church (NBC) Community Development Corporation to talk about upcoming Juneteenth celebrations.
Before getting to community questions, Chaplain Miller shared the history of Juneteenth and how he celebrated as a boy. Mr. Crawford shared that this year’s celebrations will look different from last as people feel more confident getting together after being vaccinated. He said the President signing Juneteenth into law as a National Holiday is monumental. It becomes the 11th federal holiday in the United States. Mr. Crawford said the New Bethel Church has been a flagship in the community for COVID-19 testing and the congregation is 75% to 80% vaccinated.
- Aaron wants to know are vaccinated asymptomatic COVID patients, able to spread COVID to other people. Yes, but we know the likelihood of transmission is significantly reduced with the vaccine.
- 300 children are reported to have heart, inflammation, following their vaccination. What are the symptoms? Chest discomfort or pain that resolves in a few days and can be treated with over-the-counter medication. It is extremely rare.
- The CDC recently called the Delta variant a "variant of concern." Is it more deadly than the Alpha variant? The science is still being studied. We can make some correlations to the Alpha variant which was proven through research to not be more deadly.
- Are people still dying in local hospitals of COVID-19? When was the last death at the health system? Yes. The health system’s most recent COVID-19 patient death was June 11.
- Are children at risk for suffering long haul symptoms from COVID-19? Even if they had a mild case of COVID-19? Yes.
- I read there is a case study underway for transplant patients offering them a third dose of COVID-19. If the first and second shots are not working, how will a third dose help? Immunosuppressed patients have a harder time kick-starting their antigens to develop protection against the virus. These studies are important. A third dose or more would be safe and could provide more protection for these people.
- Is the health system worried about expiration dates on vaccines running out? How are you managing all of that? We work closely with our pharmacy, county, and state health departments to shift vaccine in danger of expiring to locations in need of vaccine.
- Is it possible to get a T-cell test for antibodies? I'm sure we've all had COVID-19 in the past, but our tests came back negative. Yes, you can get a commercial T-cell test that will tell you if you’ve been exposed to the virus. T-cell tests do not test for antibodies.
- When vaccines are altered to cover variants, is it adding to the existing vaccine coverage? Or is it just for the variant? Adding to the existing coverage.
- Does the health system test for variants among its COVID-19 inpatients? We do on a limited basis and we don’t always get the results back. It does not change anything from a treatment perspective. It is more for reporting purposes.
- Fourteen states have reached 70% of adults vaccinated. Is that enough for herd immunity within those states, and will the virus now push into other states more vigorously looking for people to infect? Tricky question as people move about from state-to-state, and COVID-19 knows no borders. It is always looking to infect.
- A report published by FAIR Health shows the odds of death at 30 days after being diagnosed with COVID-19 is 45 times higher among people hospitalized with COVID. That is alarming. what causes them to die and is COVID-19 considered the cause? Studies show further medical problems or death is greater if you were hospitalized with COVID-19. The reasons are many. It is important to get vaccinated.
- If you have a rash two-months after your second Pfizer vaccine, is that an extreme reaction? Vaccine related rashes have been reported after seven-days post shot. There are other reasons for rashes.
- Does the vaccine prevent long-haul syndrome among people who were asymptomatic or never had COVID-19? Those questions are now being investigated.
Monday, June 21 at 8:00 a.m. is the next Morning Media Update. A panel of five teenagers who all made the decision to get vaccinated will share who influenced them, why they made the decision to get the shot, how they’re feeling now and what do their peers think? We're also going to talk about how virtual learning impacted their mental health and grades.
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.
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.