Kansas City, Kan - The number of COVID patients at The University of Kansas Health System moved slightly downward. 32 patients with the active virus are being treated, down from 35 yesterday. 10 of those patients are in the ICU, down from 12 yesterday. Nine of those patients are on ventilators, the same as yesterday. 14 other patients are still hospitalized because of COVID but are out of the acute infection phase, up from 13 yesterday. That’s a total of 46 patients, down from 48 yesterday. HaysMed has eight patients today, the same as yesterday. It’s important to note that the Health System is not currently taking COVID transfers, which is keeping the numbers where they are.
Here are the media and community questions in the order that Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer at The University of Kansas Health System and Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical director of Infection Prevention and Control at The University of Kansas Health System addressed them, followed by the short answer. See the video for their full answers and comments.
- (5:45) So many school districts are changing mask rules. What should schools be doing? From an infectious disease perspective, the best way to combat the pandemic is being vaccinated and masking. Follow the guidance from the CDC and the American Association of Pediatrics.
- (7:45) For the upcoming Garth Brooks concert, what can people do to stay safe? Everyone should be masked in indoor spaces, but since the concert is at Arrowhead Stadium outdoors, we hope it is safer. The Royals games have not been linked to infections, so outdoor events seem safer than indoor events.
- (10:51) Will the Health System be requiring vaccinations for employees? The expectation is that more health systems will be mandating them, especially when the FDA status moves to approved versus authorized, even though it’s just a label. The vaccines offer great benefits with an excellent safety profile.
- (15:05) Can kids get sick from wearing masks for too long during the day? There’s been no research to support that. The American Association of Pediatrics dedicate their lives to this and have recommended masks. Opinions about masks making kids sick is not supported by facts.
- (17:18) How soon will we see positive COVID numbers due to mask mandates? It depends on how many people actually follow suit, but we could see positive numbers within a week. Based on prior stats, we saw better numbers the last time we wore masks.
- (19:01) Will the vaccine need to be revamped due to reduced efficacy against Delta? There is no talk of that right now. What we do know is that the vaccines continue to be effective in keeping people from getting very sick and sent to hospitals.
- (20:55) What kind of treatments for COVID, particularly the Delta variant, are changing? Right now, there’s not change in the treatments we’ve had since July of last year.
- (23:58) Could vaccines play a role in immune responses to other viruses? No. When masks came off, people changed behavior in a lot of ways. Other viruses are out there and when you get back out in the community, you can still get them.
- (25:34) How accurate are home COVID tests? It’s debatable, you have to consider many things like technology and where you are in the process – when you thought you were exposed, when you have symptoms, etc. There are a lot of variables.
- (26:58) How soon until herd immunity? It’s hard to say, but the general guideline has been having 80-85 percent of the population vaccinated to think we have good immunity.
- (29:32) If I’m fully vaccinated but am having vertigo systems, should I get tested for COVID before I have a 10-year-old coming to visit? That doesn’t seem to be a common symptom of COVID, but it’s always a good idea to get tested to be sure.
- (30:40) Should I hold off on starting my two young kids in soccer? How much increased risk are they at? Always talk with your primary care physician. There are several factors that go into that decision. It comes down to individual risk assessment.
- (32:55) My father insists he knows people who died from the vaccine, but also knows people who died of COVID. He says his unvaccinated physician told him NOT to get the shot because he has high blood pressure. Do you have a short answer to convince him otherwise? The short answer is to get the vaccine. Billions of doses have been administered with excellent safety numbers.
Monday, August 9 at 8:00 a.m. is the next Morning Medical Update with more updates on COVID and talking about the spike in RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) cases with Children’s Mercy’s Dr. Jennifer Schuster and Medical Director of Inpatient Pediatrics Dr. Michael Lewis.
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.
Feel free to send questions in advance to medicalnewsnetwork@kumc.edu.