124 total COVID patients are being treated at The University of Kansas Health System today, up from 123 yesterday. Two COVID patients died since yesterday, a total of 43 for the month of February. Other significant numbers:
- 49 with the active virus, 45 yesterday
- 10 in ICU, 9 yesterday
- 3 on ventilators, 2 yesterday
- 75 hospitalized but out of acute infection phase, 78 yesterday
Key points from today’s guests:
Tracy Russell, executive director, Nurture KC
- Commissioned a survey of Kansans on routine wellness vaccines (not COVID) and religious exemptions.
- 95 % of Kansans believe wellness vaccines are safe and effective
- 65% believe both parents need to agree on religious exemptions
- 60% don’t believe in adding more vaccines
- 85% believe the Kansas Department of Health and Environment should be the organization that sets the wellness vaccine policy for children
- Hopes this poll “serves as a reset in these conversations around vaccine and brings us back to reality.”
Dr. Stephen Lauer, pediatrician, The University of Kansas Health System
- Encouraged by results of poll
- Still gets many questions from parents about vaccine safety and is glad to have those conversations
- Thanks to vaccinations, most parents today have not experienced serious childhood diseases like measles and smallpox, and some wonder why those vaccines are necessary.
- Vaccines are “the most important invention in the history of medicine.”
Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer, The University of Kansas Health System
- Life expectancy in the U.S. is way up because of childhood vaccines, though in the age of COVID it’s dropped two years.
- Wellness vaccine side effects are extremely rare, but the effects of the diseases such as polio are much worse
- We must pay attention to history, as wellness vaccines have worked for decades
- Believes it’s a good move for the CDC to base future COVID recommendations on hospitalizations rather than case numbers.
Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director, Infection Prevention and Control
- Recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows Ivermectin has no beneficial effect in treating COVID.
- There is currently no recommendation for a fourth dose of COVID vaccine for those who are not immunocompromised.
- Hopes with the declining number of COVID cases more monoclonal antibody treatments will be available
Monday, February 28 at 8:00 a.m. is the next Morning Medical Update. You may know actor and funnyman Brian Doyle Murray from his famous movie and TV characters. But his most recent part has been that of a patient here at the health system. He’ll share why that real life role was no laughing matter.
ATTENTION: media procedure for joining:
Zoom link: https://kumc-ois.zoom.us/j/7828978628
Telephone Zoom link: 1-312-626-6799, meeting ID: 782 897 8628
TVU Grid link: UoK_Health_SDI
Restream links: Facebook.com/kuhospital
YouTube.com/kuhospital
Send advance questions to medicalnewsnetwork@kumc.edu.
