The number of COVID-19 patients at The University of Kansas Health System is higher today. 12 people with the active virus are being treated, up from nine Friday. Of those patients, five are in the ICU, up from four on Friday. Two of those patients are on ventilators, down from three Friday. 12 other patients are still hospitalized because of COVID-19 but are out of the acute infection phase, down from 18 Friday. That’s a total of 24 patients, down from 27 Friday. HaysMed reports three total COVID-19 patients today, down from four Friday, with two active and one in the recovery phase.
On today’s Morning Media Update, we heard from health department leaders in Jackson, Johnson and Shawnee Counties. Bridgette Shaffer, Dr. Sanmi (san-me) Areola and Derik Flerlage (flur-log) updated vaccination and infection rates in their counties, and weighed in on the variants popping up around us. They also discussed their biggest challenges to getting shots in people's arms.
Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical director of Infection Prevention and Control at The University of Kansas Health System, noted that of the12 patients with the active COVID-19 infection, three had been vaccinated. Two of those were in the hospital for another reason, not realizing they had the virus, when it was discovered during routine admission screenings. The third patient had COVID-19 symptoms. All are older than 55.
Dr. David Wild, VP of Performance Improvement, shared data showing that more younger patients are now needing hospital care for COVID-19 compared to the peak of admissions last October through December. There has been a rise in the 50 to 65-year-old age group’s admissions and a drop in the 75 to 80-year-old admissions. He explained that wastewater treatment testing is becoming a more important marker of disease in communities as testing decreases. He says it is very likely there is more COVID-19 in our community than the positivity rate leads us to believe.
Dr. Areola reported the infection rate in Johnson County remains fairly low with a positivity rate at around three percent. He says the vaccine supply from the state is increasing which is allowing the county to vaccinate 11,000 people a week. Including both first and second shots, 273,000 vaccinations have been given, about 40 percent of the county’s population. He outlined efforts to reach the homebound and how they are helping those who need transportation get to their vaccine appointments. He worries about large events in Johnson County, such as a recent car show, saying such gatherings are conducive to the spread of the disease. He stressed vaccines alone won’t get us out of the pandemic, adding we must continue to wear masks and keep socially distancing. He says they still have a job to convince the vaccine hesitant to get their shots and reminded everyone 16 and older who lives or works in Johnson County they are eligible.
Derek Flerlage (flur-log) reported infection rates in Shawnee County have been up and down, with a positivity rate around three percent, though testing rates have decreased substantially in the last couple of months. He says there have been 22 confirmed cases of the B117 variant in Shawnee County. With about 5,000 doses a week available, 60,000 residents have received at last their first vaccine, about a third of the county population. He anticipates about one fourth of the population will have no interest in receiving the vaccine, so they are working hard on educating people on the safety of the vaccines and answering questions. He’s pleased that a partnership with area EMS providers has helped bring vaccines to the homebound. He also discussed the mobile clinics taking the vaccine out to the community. He pointed out that Shawnee County does not have a residency requirement, so people from other counties are free to come there to get their vaccine.
Bridgette Shaffer says there about 20 new COVID-19 cases a day in Jackson County, and about 28 percent of the residents have received at least one vaccination. Vaccine supply is always a challenge but is optimistic both the doses and number vaccinated will continue to increase. She points to large events such as the mass clinic at Arrowhead Stadium as one success story. Like others, she says the county continues to focus on more vulnerable people like the homebound and the homeless. She says while variants of the virus have appeared in Jackson County, the good news is preliminary reports suggest the vaccines are effective against the majority of the variants. She agrees it’s crucial to keep up mask wearing, washing hands and staying appropriately distant.
Dr. Hawkinson says there is not a high risk of getting COVID-19 by breathing someone’s cigarette or cigar smoke. He believes the question of vaccine safety has been answered for the vaccine hesitant with the millions of doses already safely administered. He feels vaccines are the way out of the pandemic, and the more people are vaccinated, the sooner we’ll be able to get back to life like it was in 2019.
Tuesday, April 13 at 8:00 a.m. is the next Morning Media Update. KDHE Secretary Dr. Lee Norman is back. We'll ask him about the variants, vaccine hesitancy, and what he thinks about COVID-19 passports. What do we do with our proof of vaccination?
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.