Total COVID patient numbers at The University of Kansas Health System:
- 184 today, 184 yesterday
- One patient death since yesterday
- 95 with active virus, 89 yesterday
- 23 in ICU, 26 yesterday
- 14 on ventilators, same as yesterday
- 89 hospitalized but out of acute infection phase, 95 yesterday
Key points from today’s guests:
Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer at The University of Kansas Health System
- Still seeing a lot of deaths and hospitalizations from omicron. Death rate in U.S. twice that of other industrialized nations
- Good news that several area school districts are keeping masks in place.
- We have effective treatments already for COVID without needing to resort to off label use of non-approved drugs.
- Efforts underway in Kansas to protect two drugs removes accountability from doctor and pharmacist and puts all risk on patient.
Rick Couldry, vice president of Pharmacy
- Pharmacist and doctor are the best team for ensuring patient safety
- Many new COVID drugs in short supply because production has not caught up with demand
- Best advice is don’t look for COVID treatment, look for prevention
Dr. Keith Sale, vice president of Ambulatory, Ear Nose and Throat specialist
- Long haul COVID patients continue to fill clinics.
- Most common symptoms are fatigue, sore muscles and joints, and breathing problems
- Those who are fully vaccinated and boosted least likely to become long haul patients
- Entrance to long haul clinic starts with primary care physician
Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of Infection Prevention and Control
- This continues to be a pandemic of the vaccinated vs. the unvaccinated
- New variants will always arrive.
- Unless a new variant takes over from omicron, we should look better in about six weeks
Monday, February 7 at 8:00 a.m. is the next Morning Medical Update. COVID is not over in the Emergency Department. Waiting rooms are still packed, and hospital workers are tired but still doing all they can to make sure everyone who needs care gets it. We'll take you inside a typical day in the ER and share the message they have for you if you need emergency care.
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.
