The University of Kansas Health System is treating a total of 44 COVID patients today, same as yesterday. Other significant numbers:
- 9 with the active virus today, 10 yesterday
- 3 in ICU, 1 yesterday.
- 0 on ventilator, 0 yesterday
- 35 hospitalized but out of acute infection phase, 34 yesterday
Key points from today’s guests:
Dr. Mario Castro, Vice Chair for Clinical and Translational Research at KU Medical Center and health system pulmonology and critical care physician
- Vaccines have been protecting us for more than two centuries
- To patients who think COVID vaccines were rushed, points out they have been in development for more than 20 years
- Operation Warp Speed put billions of dollars toward multiple vaccine platforms at the same time
- Defined Messenger RNA vaccines, Viral Vector Vaccines, Randomized, Double Blinded Placebo Controlled Studies, Trial Protocols and Clinical Trial Phases
Dr. Gregory Poland, Infectious Diseases, and director of Mayo Clinic’s Vaccine Research Group
- Funding is critical in research and development of vaccines
- There has never been a vaccine that has had as many clinical trial participants and as much safety data gathered as current COVID vaccines
- COVID vaccines do not contain the live virus
- Diversity plays an important role in clinical trials. Not just race, but body weight, age, and whether one has a certain medical condition.
- Long term consequences such as brain gray matter shrinkage, increased risk of diabetes and heart disease becoming more common
Dr. Chris Harrison, pediatric infectious diseases, Children’s Mercy Hospital
- It took longer to approve vaccines for children because they are not just little adults. Needed to adapt data from adult patients first.
- Use of pediatric vaccine has been disappointing
- Vast majority of children do well with vaccine
Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of Infection Prevention and Control, The University of Kansas Health System
- Half of hospitalized COVID patients are here for something else in addition to COVID
- Latest research confirms unvaccinated children at much higher risk of heart inflammation from COVID itself than from the vaccine
- If you are 50 or older and more than four months out from your last booster it’s OK according to the FDA to get another booster
Thursday, April 7 at 8:00 a.m. is the next Morning Medical Update. We are live at Kauffman Stadium for the Royals opening day. We’ll find out how the players prepared in the shortened Spring Training, what fans need to know when coming to the ballpark this year, and how you can help advance concussion research.
ATTENTION: media procedure for joining:
Zoom link: https://kumc-ois.zoom.us/j/7828978628
Telephone Zoom link: 1-312-626-6799, meeting ID: 782 897 8628
TVU Grid link: UoK_Health_SDI
Restream links: Facebook.com/kuhospital
YouTube.com/kuhospital
Send advance questions to medicalnewsnetwork@kumc.edu.
