The number of COVID patients The University of Kansas Health System is higher today. 18 with the active virus are being treated, up from 16 yesterday. Only three of those patients are vaccinated. Five patients are in the ICU, same as yesterday, and none of them are vaccinated. 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 54 patients, up from 52 yesterday. HaysMed reports 18 total patients, the same as yesterday.
On today’s Morning Medical Update, vaccines are just around the corner for children ages 5-11. But some parents are still hesitant. Dr. Amol Purandare {pooh-run-the-ray} with Infectious Diseases from Children's Mercy and Dr. Stephen Lauer, a pediatrician here at the health system, joined the panel to help answer questions. Plus, how the vaccine impacts children with certain chronic diseases.
Dr. Purandare believes it’s just a matter of weeks before the FDA will approve the COVID vaccine for kids 5-12. He thinks it might be spring before a vaccine for those six months to four years is approved. He stressed how rigorous the process has been, and having worked for the FDA, is confident they are doing everything properly and not rushing anything. He explained how Delta is much more transmissible than the original strain of the virus, which is why many more children are sick now, including those with long haul symptoms. It’s claimed the lives of six children in Missouri and one in Kansas. He said the vaccine will be safe for kids with chronic conditions, like Down Syndrome, and says kids with all kinds of underlying problems especially need the vaccine. He also discussed the fears some have of myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart. He says it’s extremely rare, and almost always goes away on its own in a few days. But he says the risk of getting it from COVID is anywhere from 4 to 20 times higher. He addressed a Kaiser Family Foundation survey of parents showing only 26 percent will take their children to be vaccinated as soon as it’s available. 40 percent will wait and see how it’s working, nine percent will only get the vaccine for their kids if it’s required and 25 percent will not get their children vaccinated. He thinks doctors need to focus on the group that’s unconvinced but can be persuaded. He also hopes schools will play a role in getting the children vaccinated, just like they did with smallpox in the 60’s. He reminds us that COVID is still a big threat, and everyone needs to keep wearing a mask and get vaccinated.
Dr. Lauer said the idea that every unnecessary infection is a chance for the next variant is important, especially for the group of parents who say they want to wait to get their kids vaccinated. He’s excited about the five to 11-year-old approval coming but says there is still plenty of work left to do in the 12 to 18-year-old group. He notes that with the upcoming approval, 28 million more American children will have access to the vaccine, which is a huge portion of the unvaccinated population. Getting all of them vaccinated, he says, could bring us closer to the herd immunity needed to end the pandemic. He said doctors’ offices are ready the moment the vaccines are approved to begin giving the shots, and is glad to hear many parents say they’ll bring their kids right in. To those unsure about the vaccines being “too new,” he reminds us that the science behind the mRNA vaccines has been around for decades. He thinks most parents will come around to the vaccines for their kids, as it’s in every parent’s nature to do what’s best for their child. He’s all for cities keeping their mask mandates in place and said kids won’t be in school without them.
Steve Stites, MD, chief medical officer at The University of Kansas Health System, agrees mask mandates need to stay in place, probably for several more months. He reminds us what happened last fall when masks came off. Kids were back in school, they had after school activities, people went inside bars and restaurants and gathered in large groups, which caused a spike in December and January. He says the reason we beat the curve in the community was because of masking and infection control. He adds, “I’d love to tell you it was about vaccination. But the percentage of people who have been vaccinated has not changed so radically in the last few months to think that’s the answer. I think until we see a lot more people vaccinated, we ought to keep masks on because the Delta variant can spread so rapidly. If we start taking masks off right now, I’m going to tell you, late November, December, early January, it’s going to be a mess again.”
Dr. Hawkinson said when it comes to our scientific knowledge of COVID, we may have been a little like the Wright brothers at the beginning of the pandemic, trying to get the plane off the ground, but says, “We’re like an F-22 Raptor right now. I think we need to continue being optimistic, but also endorse that message of getting vaccinated for everybody. Any time you get the disease, you roll the dice and you run the risk of long term complications. Even if you’re young and healthy, vaccination cuts down on those risks extremely well and significantly reduces your risk of going to the hospital and the ICU.”
Thursday, October 7 at 8:00 a.m. is the next Morning Medical Update. We have more about the research side of monoclonal antibodies with Dr. Mario Castro and we’ll be joined by a research trial participant. We’ll also look at what other medicines can be used to fight 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.
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