Key points from today’s guests:

Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer, The University of Kansas Health System

• This morning program was born out of necessity in March 2020 to provide accurate information about COVID.
• There are so many people behind the scenes who have made this program so successful, especially as we were getting essential, accurate information out to the public about COVID.
• There is a tremendous need for science-based guidance during times of uncertainty.
• We must be honest and transparent in our medical advice.

Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of Infection Prevention and Control, The University of Kansas Health System

• CMS has halted COVID reporting requirements for hospitals.
• So here is what we hope is our final COVID hospitalizations report: we have four COVID inpatients this week.
• COVID is still a significant disease, as it still affects a significant group of populations that we have in our community.
• Better understanding COVID vaccines will help protect you against hospitalization and severe disease.

Dr. Gregory Poland, director, Vaccine Research Group, Mayo Clinic; editor-in-chief, “Vaccine”

• He praised the Morning Medical Update as an important informational program that has been viewed nationally and internationally.
• COVID is moving from a pandemic to an endemic, but that means that we will likely need regular COVID vaccinations to protect us.
• Just last week, 5,600 Americans got sick enough with COVID that they had to be hospitalized. And 230 of them died.
• With masking, we had almost no RSV and almost no influenza. In fact, one of the four strains of influenza disappeared. So masking did work.
• Vaccine misinformation has cost people their lives and their well-being. Why listen to politicians or celebrities about science instead of the ones actually studying science?
• One in 269 Americans lost their lives to COVID and how many of them could have been prevented?
• Lack of transparency and honesty in public health messaging can lead to unnecessary deaths and a lack of trust in the medical community.
• The dynamic of COVID has changed due to high levels of population immunity, which makes it difficult to navigate the various variants and keep up with the changing landscape.
• Vaccines that help prevent severe disease and death is important, despite the fact that some people may still get sick after being vaccinated.
• mRNA vaccines show promise for broad applications, including flu and cancer vaccines.

Wednesday, August 28 at 8 a.m. is the next Open Mics With Doctor Stites. What started as a dream vacation in Jamaica for David Kaemmer's 30th anniversary turned into a fight for his life. Thanks to the team at The University of Kansas Health System, David made it through a rare, life-threatening infection. You’ll see how they brought him back from the brink.

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