A big jump in the number of COVID-19 patients being treated at The University of Kansas Health System today. 36 are in the hospital, up from 27 Friday. Nine of those patients are in the ICU, up from 4 Friday, with 3 on ventilators, same as Friday. 26 other patients are still hospitalized from COVID-19 but are out of the acute infection phase.
Many people are still worried about going to the dentist, fearing that since they work in your mouth it’s not safe during a pandemic. Joining the panel to dispel those fears were Maria Adjemian (Ad - jami - an), DDS, JPC KU Dental and Richard Korentager, MD, Chair of Plastics to update when and how to seek dental care during this time of COVID-19.
Dr. Adjemian said a dentist’s office is one of the safest places for care during this pandemic because of the extraordinary precautions they take and the amount of personal protective equipment they wear, such as masks, gowns and face shields. She also said patients are screened before coming in, nobody is in a waiting room and treatment rooms are thoroughly cleaned between patients. She says the American Dental Association considers dentists to be essential healthcare providers and waiting for an exam may lead to infections in the mouth, which cause long-term complications. She says since the pandemic began, there is no evidence of anyone getting COVID-19 from a dentist’s office. She urges everyone to keep wearing a mask, keep social distancing, take care of your health and especially your dental health.
Dr. Korentager noted the he went to see Dr. Adjemian few weeks ago and felt very safe and comfortable during the visit. He said surgical procedures are safer than ever, thanks to the protocols in place, which begin even before the surgery. He says cosmetic surgeries have resumed with the same safety protocols after an initial pause to conserve PPE. He also discussed the special precautions taken in the burn unit as those patients are more vulnerable to infection. He says we must be vigilant, take the pandemic seriously and support one another.
Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical director of infection prevention and control at The University of Kansas Health System, discussed the effectiveness of wastewater testing and its potential to help identify large areas of the community with COVID-19. He noted the University of Kansas is conducting studies on this testing. He explained that COVID-19 usually involves a long recovery, sometimes as long as six months, well after the time of being infectious. He feels businesses need to reevaluate their rule of making employees who tested positive for COVID-19 test negative before coming back to work. He says a patient is safe to get back to society once they are no longer infectious or symptomatic, usually within about 10 days. He noted that’s the policy of the health system for its 12,500 employees.
Steve Stites, MD, chief medical officer at The University of Kansas Health System, vowed there will be no “flapjacking” on this update. He describes that as “people who are flapping their arms around and jacking with you.” He says it’s the responsibility of the medical community to give truthful information without political shading. He says being honest “every moment of every day,” is important in medicine. He says the best way to fight “COWS” (covid weariness syndrome) is to exercise, figure out who is in your social bubble, keep up with friends via ZOOM and anything to help us diversify our lives enough to cope. He reminds us the best way to keep safe is wear a mask, socially distance, wash your hands frequently and don’t gather in large crowds.
Monday, August 31 at 8:00 a.m. is the next morning media update. Scott and Shannon Bruegge (brew- gee …hard ‘g’) from Tonganoxie share their COVID-19 story. They are joined by their doctors, pulmonologist Dr. Krishna Rangarajan and Infectious Disease specialist Dr. Christopher Brychel.
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.