A record number of COVID-19 patients are being treated at The University of Kansas Health System today. 40 patients are hospitalized, up from 36 yesterday. 18 patients are in the ICU, up from 16 yesterday. Doctors noted they had to open up an overflow ICU to handle the number of COVID-19 patients. Six patients are on ventilators, up from 4 yesterday. 31 other patients are still hospitalized because of COVID-19 but are out of the acute infection phase. That’s down from 35 yesterday. In addition, HaysMed has 21 total COVID-19 inpatients today, up from 18 yesterday, with 2 of those patients in the recovery phase.
Stefanie Baines, education coordinator at the Poison Control Center at The University of Kansas Health System joined to talk about Halloween safety, and she introduced some special guests. Messner Puppets Hunter and Scout posed questions for our panel, and even answered questions as well.
Stefanie Baines says Halloween is one of the busiest times of the year for the Poison Control Center at The University of Kansas Health System. She says while this year may look different, there is still the same potential for Halloween poisonings. She pointed out that glow sticks, face paint, medicines that look like candy and dry ice account for many of the poisonings. Her advice is store all medicines away safely when children are coming to the house, don’t touch dry ice or put it in your cup, and keep the Poison Hotline number handy. It’s 1-800-222-1222, answered 24 hours a day every day, it’s free and confidential.
Hunter and Scout had questions for the doctors. They wanted to know if it’s safe to trick or treat with their friends this year. The doctors say if you stay in your social bubble and wear a mask, it will be safe. They wanted to know how to safely hand out candy, and doctors said as long as the person giving the candy is wearing a mask, the encounter will be so brief it should be safe. Doctors also told them they’ll need to wear the same regular mask they wear each day and not count on just a costume mask to protect them. Finally, Hunter and Scout asked about other safe activities. Doctors suggested combining Easter and Halloween and have a hunt for candy.
Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical director of infection prevention and control at The University of Kansas Health System, says when it comes to gathering around a fire pit this fall, he still advises wearing a mask, especially if people not normally in your household are with you and you can’t separate 8-10 feet. He also said he thinks it’s “dangerous” for a 90-old-relative to join a family of six for Thanksgiving dinner, especially if there are young people in the house. He says more and more young people are spreading the virus without knowing it. He also says we don’t yet know for sure if we will have to keep wearing masks after a vaccine is available, but he suspects we will for a while.
Steve Stites, chief medical officer at The University of Kansas Health System, addressed the question about whether it will be safe to go to polls to vote next Tuesday. He said he’s already voted in person, and from what he observed, feels it will be very safe. He also addressed the fact that some Wichita hospitals are having to put up field hospitals to handle the rising numbers of patients. He also said he’s not comfortable with the idea of playing indoor tennis this winter in a giant air-filled dome because the air turnover rate in bubbles is relatively slow. It also depends on how many people are in the dome. He said when it comes to trying to convince a city council to enact a mask mandate or for people in general to wear one, he realizes some people just don’t want to be told what to do. He says all you can do is ask if they want to stay safe or if they want to gamble. He says it’s proven that masks work to stop the spread of the virus and pointed to the fact that nobody inside the health system, where dozens of COVID-19 patients are being treated, has caught the virus while in the hospital.
Friday, October 30 at 8:00 a.m. is the next morning media update. We will take time to answer questions from the community.
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 1-253-215-8782, 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.