The number of COVID patients The University of Kansas Health System is slightly lower today. 15 with the active virus are being treated, down from 18 yesterday. Five patients are in the ICU, the same as yesterday. Four are on ventilators, the same as yesterday. 36 other patients are still hospitalized because of COVID but are out of the acute infection phase, the same yesterday. That’s a total of 51 patients, down from 54 yesterday. HaysMed reports 18 total patients, the same as yesterday.
On today’s Morning Medical Update, we had more about the research side of monoclonal antibodies with Dr. Mario Castro, vice chair of Clinical and Translational Research at the KU School of Medicine. We were also joined by Amber Styles, a research trial participant, who described how the monoclonal antibody treatment helped her with COVID.
Before getting to today’s main topic, doctors discussed the breaking news that Pfizer has officially requested emergency use authorization for its vaccine for kids ages five to 11. They welcomed the development and estimated it will take the FDA about four weeks to look at the data and make a decision, but approval could come before Thanksgiving. They also discussed data showing very rare cases of myocarditis in young people from the vaccine. They said it hardly ever happens and when it does the symptoms are minimal and go away quickly. They agreed severe cases of myocarditis are much more likely from COVID itself.
Amber Styles caught COVID about a year ago, just before Halloween. The day she received her diagnosis, she contacted the KU Medical Center’s clinical trials office. It was a Saturday, but they got back with her right away, and signed her up for the monoclonal antibody trial. She had her infusion on Monday. It was a four- hour process, but she says it was easy. She had already lost her sense of taste and smell, typical COVID symptoms, when she had the treatment, but within a few days, the senses started to return. Extreme fatigue and brain fog were persistent for many months, even causing her to take several naps a day, also typical for COVID patients. She feels a lot better today and says it could have been much worse without the monoclonal antibody treatment, even possibly forcing her to the hospital. She has had to give up her exercise routine because of the fatigue, and advises those who have had COVID to “give yourself a little grace,” when trying to get back to your old self. She has since been vaccinated, as it wasn’t available when she caught the virus. She says a lot of minorities and African Americans such as herself are hesitant to participate in clinical trials and she felt it was important to participate and tell her story. To those who distrust the vaccine but think we should treat everyone with monoclonal antibodies, she says, “Trust the vaccine.” She feels it’s far better to prevent COVID than to try to get over it with this treatment and suffer the long-term effects that she and others are dealing with.
Dr. Castro explained how monoclonal antibodies work to fight the symptoms of COVID. The treatment has been used under emergency authorization for nearly a year and he says it’s still too early for the FDA to give full approval, though he expects it will happen eventually. He stressed there is plenty of data showing it’s safe, especially for high-risk or pregnant patients. He emphasized how important it is to seek the treatment as soon as you learn you have COVID, within seven days at most, as it’s not effective after that. He revealed that an earlier trial involving a pill to treat early COVID was stopped because it wasn’t effective, but says another trial with a pill is coming. He’s excited about a new trial called Recover, which is looking at treatments for long haul patients, such as Amber. To enroll, call Christina Pantalunan at 913-588-3851. With 236 million cases of COVID around the world and nearly five million deaths during the pandemic, Castro calls this “The biggest public health issue we will all face for decades.”
Steve Stites, MD, chief medical officer at The University of Kansas Health System, reminded us that every time masks have come off during the pandemic, the numbers have gone up, and he feels we need to keep wearing them until the vaccination rates improve. He also implores, “Please get vaccinated because you don’t want to be in a position to have to have monoclonal antibody treatment.” He adds, “In this world, you decide who you can trust. Do you want to listen to people who have spent their entire lives investigating and trying to analyze this, and patients like Amber who tell their story, or all that made up stuff out there? Who do you trust? Because the choice you make will determine your fate.”
Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical director of Infection Prevention and Control, points out that the data shows even months out from vaccination, we are still protected from serious illness, hospitalization, and death. He says while it’s true you get some immunity from getting COVID, it tends to go away much sooner, and may not protect you from Delta. It’s best to get the vaccine, which he says will give you the best and longest protection.
Friday, October 8 at 8:00 a.m. is the next Morning Medical Update. It’s Follow Up Friday, and we’ll get to community questions we didn’t have time to answer during the week.
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.
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