The numbers of COVID patients at The University of Kansas Health System are steady today. 21 with the active virus are being treated, the same as yesterday. Only four of them are vaccinated. Nine patients are in the ICU, same as yesterday. Five are on ventilators, up from four yesterday. 25 other patients are still hospitalized because of COVID but are out of the acute infection phase, the same as yesterday. That’s a total of 46 patients, the same as yesterday.
On today’s Open Mics With Dr. Stites, we focused on vaccination boosters, pediatric vaccines, and flu shots. Guests included Dr. Catherine Satterwhite, Region 7 health administrator for Health and Human Services, Dr. Bridgette Jones, Children’s Mercy and Mark Logan with Comeback KC who talked about a new vaccination campaign. Those in the studio also got their flu shots live during the show.
To emphasize the point that now is the time to get a flu shot, Drs. Stites, Hawkinson and Satterwhite rolled up their sleeves during today’s show to get theirs. Dr. Jones from Children’s Mercy already had hers. Doctors pointed out that while not as deadly as COVID, the flu kills an average of 33,000 Americans a year and sends about 420,000 to the hospital. This year, based on what we’ve seen in the southern hemisphere, flu cases are expected to be much higher and the vaccine prevents hospitalizations and deaths.
The same is true for the COVID vaccine. Like the flu shot, it’s not supposed to keep you from getting the disease, no vaccine does. But it keeps you from spreading the virus and makes any symptoms much less severe. Dr. Satterwhite says with COVID vaccine approval expected any day for kids 5-11, the government is already shipping millions of doses to places parents already know and trust like doctors’ offices and pharmacies. Those doses should be in place by next week. She noted that kids will get the same drug as adults, just one third the dose, and the vaccine bottles and labels will be different to avoid confusion. She says the policy allowing for mixing and matching COVID boosters is good, but it’s more important that people who have not had their first shot get it as soon as possible. She’s also excited by trial data on the new pill from Merc which can be used to treat COVID, much like Tamiflu for influenza. She believes it will make a big difference in poorer countries around the world.
Dr. Jones says pediatricians are ready to give the COVID shots as soon as they are approved. She explained why kids need to have both flu and COVID shots, especially with RSV and asthma on the rise, and more indoor activities coming with the winter months. She notes it’s OK for kids with autism to get the COVID shot. She believes we all need to band together to protect one another, most importantly our children, as she noted more than 140,000 children have lost a mom, dad, or adult caregiver during the pandemic.
Mark Logan explained how the Comeback KC campaign is now targeting Black and Latino communities with messages promoting the COVID vaccine. Those populations have tended to be more vaccine resistant than others. Because doctors are highly trusted, his organization produced a series of videos featuring area physicians from minority backgrounds explaining why they got the vaccine themselves. They also debunk common myths like the vaccine causes infertility or alters the DNA. Dr. Jones is one of those doctors, and she says she was grateful to be able to participate. There is also a Spanish language version of the videos.
Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical director of Infection Prevention and Control at The University of Kansas Health System, addressed the common question of whether someone who is weeks away from their 12th birthday should wait so they can get the full dose. He advises getting whatever dose your child qualifies for as soon as it’s available, as kids will be more susceptible to COVID with winter’s indoor activities and the holidays coming soon. He says the lower dose will be just as effective for youngsters as is the regular dose for older kids and adults. He notes that the flu vaccine, even in the years when it hasn’t been the best match for the virus, still reduces hospitalization and missed days of work. For those still worried about myocarditis from the COVID vaccine, he says it’s been proven to be extremely rare, and kids are four times more likely to get it from COVID itself. He also emphasizes there’s no difference in fertility rates between the vaccinated and unvaccinated.
Steve Stites, MD, chief medical officer at The University of Kansas Health System, explained why for some with weakened immune systems, a fourth dose of the COVID vaccine may be necessary. He believes vaccinations and mask wearing will stop the spread of Delta as we all seek a return to normalcy. That normalcy includes no more masks in schools. But he says we’re not there yet. He doesn’t think it will be hard to get people to take their booster shots. The real problem is convincing the unvaccinated to get one in the first place. He says, “How we do is based on what we do, and that ultimately determines how we do or where we go.”
Thursday, October 28 at 8:00 a.m. is the next Morning Medical Update. Actor Erron Jay, living his dream in Hollywood, thought he had caught COVID, but quickly learned he was actually in kidney failure. Erron found himself on a transplant list and his search for a living donor brought him back home to KCK and sparked a kidney chain. He joins us live along with his surgeon and director of transplantation here at the health system, Dr. Timothy Schmitt to talk about transplant in a time of COVID.
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.