The number of COVID-19 patients at The University of Kansas Health System is slightly higher today. 18 patients are being treated for the virus, up from 17 on Thursday. Eight are in the ICU, up from 6 on Thursday and two are on ventilators, same as Thursday. Doctors note the number of patients is down from the peak of 24 patients ten days ago as the health system continues both discharges and new admissions every day.
Homeland Security is issuing increased warnings around COVID-19 sharing of misinformation, when people innocently forward incorrect information that could be harmful and misinformation that results when people click on and share links only to be scammed or their private information compromised. Sean Roberts, VP of IT Technology at The University of Kansas Health System joined the briefing to offer advice on avoiding financial and security risks while Drs. Stites and Hawkinson address the physical risks.
Sean Roberts, like many others during the pandemic has been able to work from home. He had advice for those doing so, especially ways to keep from feeling isolated such as using video conferencing to keep everyone in the loop. He’s noticed cybercrimes have increased, as some people always try to take advantage of a crisis for financial gain. He listed the most common themes of those email scams: authority, urgency, emotion and scarcity. He said many of the scams, such as the one claiming there’s a problem with your Amazon Prime account, involve getting your username and password or installing ransomware on your computer. He says don’t fall for it by clicking on the link they provide to “fix the problem.” He demonstrated the sure signs that the email is a scam and had a list of password do’s and don’ts and ways to practice good “password hygiene.”
Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical director of infection prevention and control at The University of Kansas Health System, said saliva testing may be available in as little as two weeks, and promises quicker results than the current nasal swab testing. He had an update on current clinical trials for treatment but says the vaccination which will help end the pandemic is still a work in progress. He says the hope is to keep the number of hospitalizations down, and notes we are starting to see better outcomes for those who are in the hospital. He describes the processes the health system has put into place to ensure both patient and staff safety, and having recently returned from two different trips, explained how he stayed safe in a plane and a car.
Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer at The University of Kansas Health System, is also back from vacation. He went to Colorado by car and discusses all of the safety precautions he and those with him took. He says the goal is becoming to keep the disease at a level that’s not a burden to the healthcare system until a vaccine is ready. He explained the reason we’re seeing COVID-19 spikes around the country is we’re no longer sheltering in place. He says now that we’re back in society, the only way to keep the virus under control is to wear a mask everywhere where you can’t physically distance, such as at a store or restaurant or in group settings. He believes we still have a lot of work to do to stay safe.
Tuesday, July 7 at 8:00 a.m. is the next daily briefing call. Doug Gaston, SVP, CFO does the math and helps reconcile federal grant money with the cost of fighting a pandemic. Where were we? Where are we now? Where has the grant money gone? Are we asking or hoping for more? And, how are we going to make up the shortfall?
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