COVID numbers are down but hospitalizations are still at record levels, an average of four people a day are still dying from omicron, ICUs are still full, and we can’t afford to take our foot off the gas in the COVID fight. Those were the main points brought home by 14 hospital chief medical officers who gathered for a news and community conference call today.

Here are the 14 doctors who participated in the order they spoke. The link to the entire news conference is above.

• Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer, The University of Kansas Health System
• Dr. Richard Watson, co-founder, Motient
• Dr. Lisa Hays, Chief Medical Officer, Advent Health Shawnee Mission
• Dr. James Stewart, Chief Medical Officer, North Kansas City Hospital
• Dr. Mark Steele, Executive Chief Clinical Officer, University Health-Truman
• Dr. Ahmad Batrash, Chief of Staff, Kansas City VA Hospital
• Dr. Jennifer Schrimsher, infectious diseases physician at LMH Health and deputy public health officer for Douglas County
• Dr. Jackie Hyland, Chief Medical Officer, The University of Kansas Health System - St. Francis Campus
• Dr. Kevin Dishman, Chief Medical Officer, Stormont Vail Health
• Dr. Samer "Sam" Antonios, Chief Clinical Officer, Ascension Via Christi Health
• Dr. Robert Freelove, Chief Medical Officer, Salina Regional Health Center
• Dr. James Alexander, Chief Medical Officer, Centura-St. Catherine
• Dr. Heather Harris, Medical Director, HaysMed
• Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of Infection Prevention and Control, The University of Kansas Health System

Key points from the panel: (Time codes in parentheses)

Dr. Stites

• We are COVID better. We are most certainly not COVID good (1:15)
• More than 90 percent of those who are dying are unvaccinated (40:50)

Dr. Watson

• Patients waiting more than 10 hours for a transfer, if available. (5:30)
• Don’t see any letup in demand for several weeks (5:55)

Dr. Dishman

• Still seeing high number of transfer requests of patients who are much sicker (23:05)
• Many staff members learning to work outside their comfort zone with COVID patients (48:10)

Dr. Schrimsher

• Not concerned about BA 2 variant (35:50)

Dr. Antonios

• Approaching 1000 deaths in Sedgewick County (27:00)
• Every community needs its hospital and the best they can do is show kindness for the hospital and its workers (58:25)

Dr. Steele

• It’s premature to lift restrictions on masks (41:30)

Dr. Hawkinson

• If full vaccinated and boosted, you should be offered some concessions and the ability to do things. Must still be concerned about indoor gatherings and wear masks. (50:35)

            Thursday, February 10 at 8:00 a.m. is the next Morning Medical Update. It's all things vaccine with our expert, Dr. Kevin Ault. He's not only an OBGYN here at the health system, but he's on the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the CDC. He'll tell us where things stand on vaccines for kids, and when we might see Novavax, which is getting approval overseas, here in the U.S.

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.