The University of Kansas Health System reports an increase in the number of active COVID patients over the weekend. 35 patients with the active virus are being treated, up from 33 on Friday. 15 patients are in the ICU, down from 17 Friday, and only two of them are vaccinated. Nine are on ventilators, the same as Friday, with only one of those patients vaccinated. 32 other patients are still hospitalized because of COVID but are out of the acute infection phase, down from 39 on Friday. That’s a total of 67 patients, down from 73 on Friday. HaysMed has 14 total patients, down from 15 on Friday.
On today’s Morning Medical Update, the program tackled the effectiveness of mask usage in Kansas with special guests Dr. Donna Ginther, Dean’s Professor of Economics and Director, Institute for Policy and Social Research at the University of Kansas and Dr. Carlos Zambrana, Associate Researcher at the University of Kansas.
To those who say masks don’t work against COVID, a couple of researchers from The University of Kansas say, “Yes they do,” and here’s the proof, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in June. Dr. Ginther explained in detail how the research explored the 15 counties in Kansas that had mask mandates in July of 2020 compared to 68 counties that did not. Their study went through December of 2020, and should be noted that it occurred before vaccines were available. The results show a dramatic difference in the counties with and without mandates. Those without the mandates had much higher hospitalizations and deaths. The masked counties had 35,000 fewer cases, 1500 fewer hospitalizations and 500 fewer deaths. Dr. Zambrana says they were very surprised to see how well masks worked and felt it was important to release the findings as soon as possible so people could learn from the results. He also said there was no negative impact on unemployment because of the mask wearing. Dr. Ginther noted the masks are also very effective for keeping kids in school, pointing out that some school districts without mask mandates have had to close because of the high number of cases. She has a message for those who still don’t believe, even with the proof, that masks work against COVID. “We have a pandemic, and I feel like we have an obligation to keep ourselves and our neighbors and our family healthy. Without high rates of vaccination, the best way to do that is to have layers of protection, and a mask is one of those layers of protection. So it’s essential, especially for young children who cannot yet get the vaccine, that they wear a mask so that they don’t get sick and their families don’t get sick as well.”
The panel also discussed news today that Pfizer says its vaccine is safe and effective for children ages 5 to 11 and that it will seek U.S. authorization for this age group soon, a key step toward beginning vaccinations for youngsters. Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical director of Infection Prevention and Control at The University of Kansas Health System calls this news “wonderful.” He notes once Pfizer turns over its study results to the FDA, the agency will evaluate the data “hopefully by mid to late October.” He also reminded everyone the type of mask you wear, or even whether you wear two of them, is not as important as the fit. He advises those who test positive but don’t feel bad enough to go to the hospital to eat healthy, hydrate, and take something for pain relief. To a viewer who canceled an eye appointment because none of the staff or the doctor were vaccinated, he says it was a good decision. He feels it’s vital for all medical professionals, especially those who work near the head and neck like eye doctors and dentists, to be vaccinated. To those who are refusing the vaccine saying they have natural antibodies, he says new research shows those who were infected and then got the vaccination have a much more robust immune response and are better prepared to fight future variants.
Tuesday, September 21 at 8:00 a.m. is the next Morning Medical Update. As COVID cases skyrocketed in recent weeks across Georgia, there's one age group that stands out for getting sick and spreading the virus -- children. What we can learn from Georgia's pandemic crisis and hopefully avoid here in our area.
NOTE: Journalists should rejoin the Morning Medical Update at 8am as doctors are growing too busy again for individual interview requests. Please bring questions or send to medicalnewsnetwork@kumc.edu until further notice. Thanks for all you do and helping to keep the community safe with your reporting.
ATTENTION: media procedure for calling in:
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