The University of Kansas Health System reports a slight drop in the numbers of COVID patients today. 45 patients with the active virus are being treated, down from 47 yesterday. Only six of them have been vaccinated. 17 of those patients are in the ICU, down from 19 yesterday. One of the ICU patients is on ECMO, a machine which helps the lungs work, and is the last life-saving measure available.12 patients are on ventilators, up from 11 yesterday. HaysMed has ten patients, up from nine yesterday.
On today’s Morning Medical Update, we checked in with Dr. Kevin Ault on the latest from the CDC on vaccines and safety during pregnancy. We also answered community questions.
Dr. Kevin Ault is an OBGYN at the health system who sits on the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. His committee is meeting today to discuss booster doses. The FDA just approved a booster dose for certain immunocompromised people and Dr. Ault’s committee will discuss clinical recommendations. He also discussed the recent recommendation by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine that all pregnant women be vaccinated against COVID. He says the data about the severity of COVID during pregnancy is “sobering,” and eight months of solid data shows the vaccine is safe. It even shows newborns of vaccinated women have some protection from COVID. He says it’s a common misconception that the vaccine affects the baby’s DNA and explained why that’s not true. He also noted data shows the vaccine is safe for both breastfeeding women and their babies. The biggest question he hears every day is whether the vaccine causes infertility. He said most definitely not. He says unfortunately it’s a rumor and misinformation that gets started every time a new vaccine comes along, but no vaccine has ever been proven to cause infertility.
Here are the media and community questions in the order the panel addressed them, followed by the short answer. The time code for the question is in parentheses. See the video for their full answers and comments.
- (2:25) How does the Delta plus variant, which appears to be picking up here in the U.S., differ from the regular Delta variant? Does it increase risk for vaccinated or unvaccinated people? There’s no evidence or data to suggest that it’s any different in the scope of the severity of disease it causes or vaccinated vs. unvaccinated.
- (11:25) I'm hearing more and more about cases of pregnant women with COVID-19 being hospitalized and needing to deliver the baby early. Can you explain why? Pregnancy is a stress on the heart and lungs. Add COVID to the mix, which often causes decreased oxygen supply to the mother and baby, and doctors will intervene when the baby is in trouble.
- (12:20) What about nurses and other health professionals who speak out against the vaccine? Does this make people pause and consider not getting it? All healthcare professionals were trained in evidence-based medicine and all should have the tools to look at the evidence. They are constantly learning things they didn’t know even six months ago. Not all individual providers speak for the whole healthcare industry.
- (14:00) With masks not required in many preschools, should I send my son even if he'll likely be the only one in a mask? I'm told not all teachers are vaccinated either. It’s a matter of assessing the risk for you and your family. Children can have the same amount or more of virus in their upper respiratory tract than adults. You must decide if your child gets the virus, do you and your family feel safe?
- (16:45) Is Ivermectin a viable alternative to the vaccine? No, it is not. It has no benefit for either preventing or treating COVID.
- (18:40) Are pregnant women considered immunocompromised? Are they less protected by the vaccine? While there are alterations to the immune system during pregnancy, studies show they still have 80% protection with the vaccine.
- (19:20) I have Hashimoto's disease and had an adverse reaction to my first Moderna shot. That was five months ago. But now with the rise in Delta, I want to get my second shot. Will it still be effective? Yes.
- (20:20) My dad wants me to attend his wedding where no one will be masking. I have two unvaccinated kids under the age of 12 who have been very diligent during this pandemic. What are the chances of spreading COVID to them if I were to come in contact? You have a fairly good chance of spreading it to your household. Wear a mask and keep socially distanced at the wedding.
- (21:50) What can you tell us about the data the CDC used to issue its new guidelines on vaccine safety for pregnant women? Dr. Ault gave details and concluded by saying the news is reassuring.
- (23:55) What do you think will come first: EUA for those under 12 or full approval for those 12 and older? How will one effect the other? This is only an estimate at this time, but full approval for those 12 and older may come by the end of September and the EUA for those under 12 sometime before that.
- (25:05) If the vaccine helps keep people out of the hospital and off a ventilator, does it also protect from long hauler symptoms? The question is being asked and looked at, but right now there’s not a lot of good data on this.
- (26:00) With the Delta variant and school starting, any word about trying to speed up the process to get all kids under 12 vaccinated? The FDA has devoted more research sources to reviewing the data thanks to input from The American Academy of Pediatricians.
- (26:40) Which co-morbidities do you anticipate the third dose of vaccine will be available for? HIV disease, transplants, cancer, and those on some immunosuppressive drugs.
- (27:40) With 4.6 billion doses of the vaccine given worldwide, why is it not working? Both doctors argue that it is working for those who take it. The vast majority of patients who are severely ill, hospitalized and dying are unvaccinated.
- (30:40) Are the boosters a different formula or just another dose of what you already had? The same.
- (31:00) Would I be considered immunocompromised having had severe COVID and now lung damage and asthma? Will I need a booster, or should my residual immunity be enough? You are not necessarily immunocompromised just because you had the disease.
- (32:20) A study shows Pfizer is only about 40 percent effective against the Delta variant but Moderna is higher. Is Moderna superior to Pfizer? Efficacy studies are ongoing and can be confusing. The 40 percent figure was mostly referencing symptomatic disease.
- (35:15) For school districts that are not requiring masks and making them optional, do you have published documentation you could share with the superintendent and the Board of Education? The American Academy of Pediatrics web site has some of the most detailed and up to date information available.
- (37:00) What do people do if they need urgent care locally with hospitals filling up? It’s dangerous and a significant concern for hospitals right now. Doctors told the recent story of someone in the region having a heart attack, but the ambulance had to try six different hospitals before finding one to give the emergency care needed.
- (37:40) If vaccinated people can still get infected, can they still create new variants or is it less likely because their bodies clear the virus faster? During the replication process of the virus, you always have that chance to produce new variants.
- (38:30) What do you say to people who have been more focused on their rights to not get vaccinated rather than the data? How can we change their mind? More than a century ago, during a smallpox outbreak, the U.S. Supreme court ruled, in Jacobson vs. Massachusetts, that we must take these measures during a pandemic. It’s now part of our law.
- (41:05) For those who are immunocompromised and may be eligible for the third shot, what’s the next step? Most of those people, because of their condition, will be plugged into healthcare so they should talk to their provider.
Monday, August 16 at 8:00 a.m. is the next Morning Medical Update. Our guests are the heads of the Kansas and Missouri Hospital Associations with how hospitals are handling the surge in COVID cases, the staffing issues popping up and the concern if cases continue to climb.
NOTE: Journalists should rejoin the Morning Medical Update at 8am as doctors are growing too busy again for individual interview requests. Please bring questions or send to medicalnewsnetwork@kumc.edu until further notice. Thanks for all you do and helping to keep the community safe with your reporting.
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.