“We are past the tipping point. We are in trouble!” That’s the dire assessment of Steve Stites, MD, chief medical officer at The University of Kansas Health System, after revealing today’s COVID-19 patient numbers. 33 patients with the active virus are being treated, up from 31 yesterday. 12 of those patients are in the ICU, up from 11 yesterday. Six patients are on ventilators, the same as yesterday. 27 other patients are still hospitalized because of COVID-19 but are out of the acute infection phase, up from 25 yesterday. That’s a total of 60 patients, up from 56 yesterday. HaysMed has three patients, down from six yesterday.
On today’s Morning Medical Update, Dr. Stephen Lauer, pediatrician here at the health system, and Dr. Barbara Pahud, research director of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Children's Mercy, joined the panel to talk about back to school vaccinations including COVID-19.
Dr. Stites kicked off the discussion by saying Kansas City, on both sides of the state line, is now the epicenter of this third wave outbreak in the United States as the Delta virus has migrated from Springfield and southwest Missouri. His fellow chief medical officers from area hospitals agree, and Dr. Stites believes they will all soon recommend a return to mandatory masking and social distancing because all of the hospitals are full. In total, area hospitals report 300 COVID patients, the most since last fall. All are having to turn down transfers, not just because of a lot of COVID patients, but a lot of sick patients with other illnesses. The difference between last fall and now is back then, with masking and social distancing, there were not as many people sick with just routine things. With the restrictions lifted, those patients are back, along with a surge of COVID patients. He warns, “We are not vaccinated like we need to be, and people have just gone back to trying to live life as normal, when in reality we live in abnormal times.” He adds we should be fearful that we won’t be able to give care to those who need it, COVID or not COVID, because we don’t have enough beds in the city. He also says hospitals don’t have enough staff. He stresses the debate about vaccinations needs to end calling this a “pandemic of the unvaccinated,” as fewer than 10 percent of those in the hospital are vaccinated and it’s overwhelming the system. He notes it’s no longer a disease of the old and infirm but of the young and healthy. He also said it could be mid-September before the FDA gives full authorization for the vaccines. His plea to the public is, “You know the storm is here. Take shelter from the storm by getting vaccinated and following the rules of infection prevention.”
Dr. Lauer says they know masks and social distancing work because doctors are seeing RSV season in July, something nobody has seen before. The respiratory disease, which usually affects children, normally happens in the winter and spring months, but was non-existent this past year because of the infection prevention measures. He stresses after last year, kids need to be back in classrooms, even if masks are mandatory for those under 12 not yet eligible for the vaccine. In his clinic, he’s seeing adolescents slowly but surely come around to the vaccination once they know they are not just keeping themselves safe but their family and grandparents. He recalls the polio outbreak in the 50’s and 60’s, the frustration of not being able to do anything about it and how it changed society. Then when a vaccine came along, people lined up enthusiastically to get it, and that vaccination effort changed society back to normal. He says the same opportunity exists here. He believes if we have the intestinal fortitude, we can get through this surge until we can get the younger kids vaccinated and put the pandemic behind us.
Dr. Pahud described the clinical trial process currently underway for the vaccine for those under 12. Even in the best case, she says it will be November before it will be approved, but more likely January, so definitely not before school starts this fall. She said the difference between now and this time last year is the vaccine. Now that we can do something about the virus, it’s frustrating to her that we’re having this surge when it’s entirely preventable. She stressed that as long as there are unvaccinated people, the virus can mutate, and if you think the Delta variant is scary, the next one could be much worse. She says, “You can’t go back and open the world up without social distancing, masks and vaccines and expect life to go back to normal. COVID is still here, this pandemic is still here. We can make it go away if we vaccinate. If we don’t, we’re still facing the same problems.”
Friday, July 23 at 8:00 a.m. is the next Morning Medical Update. The Summer Olympic Games begin in Tokyo without spectators. Two KC area gymnasts are quarantined after exposure to COVID. We’ll talk to two doctors who help train elite and Olympic-bound athletes. We’ll find out what it takes to prepare your body to be the best of the best.
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