After several days of record highs, a drop in the number of COVID-19 patients at The University of Kansas Health System today. 77 patients are hospitalized, down from 85 yesterday. 36 patients are in the ICU, up from 32 yesterday. 13 patients are on ventilators, same as 12 yesterday. 45 other patients are still hospitalized because of COVID-19 but are out of the acute infection phase, up from 41 yesterday. That’s a total of 122 patients, down from 126 yesterday. In addition, HaysMed has 36 total COVID-19 inpatients with 3 of those patients in the recovery phase, up from 30 yesterday.
Doctors hope the farther we get from the super-spreading event of Halloween and the more we all wear masks the lower the numbers might be. They all support the Kansas governor’s statewide mask mandate, and new local mandates, saying they will help keep hospitals and businesses open.
On the Morning Media Update today, the latest on the AstraZeneca Phase 3 Trial. Dr. Mario Castro with KU Medical Center is back, along with Dr. Barbara Pahud (pa-HUDE … rhymes with dude) from Children’s Mercy and Dr. Mark Steele, Executive Chief Clinical Officer, Truman Medical Centers/University Health.
Dr. Castro noted the AstraZenica trial, in which the KU Medical Center is participating, is the third in line behind the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which are likely to receive emergency use authorization soon. He’s “thrilled” the first two are showing 90 to 95 percent effectiveness, far better than the flu vaccine, and says researchers were hoping for a more modest 60 percent. Of the 70,000 nationwide participants so far, the most common side effects are the minor ones some people experience after a flu shot, such as soreness, muscle aches and headaches, which go away after taking aspirin. Of the vaccines, he says “The protection is unbelievable and will bend the curve in Kansas City.” He says the trials are still going on and need to be completed before receiving full FDA approval and not just the emergency use authorization. The goal of the AstraZenica trial is for 25% of those enrolled to be 65 or older. He said if you have already had COVID-19 you are not eligible for the trial. He urges those interested to call Shelby at 913-574-3006 to sign up or enroll online at preventcovid.org and enter KUMC when asked for the institution. Two of every three participants will get the trial vaccine, and those getting a placebo will get the real thing when the FDA gives approval.
Dr. Pahud was live in Olathe with a mobile van that is going to some of the harder hit areas of the community. She said they are attempting to enroll a diverse pool of people, especially members of the Hispanic and African American populations. She says it’s good that multiple vaccines are becoming available because each has different distribution methods and thus each is better suited for different communities. She noted, “We’re all human on this planet, trying to curb the virus, and we need all the vaccines from all of the companies.” She warns it may take a year before there is enough vaccine for every American.
Dr. Steele noted that the numbers at Truman are slightly lower today after reaching a record high this week, but he says his hospital, like others in the Metro, is feeling the same pressure on bed space and staffing. He says they have contingency plans, including using traveling nurses, but those options are limited because every region in the country is scrambling for the same pool of workers. He said Truman and The University of Kansas Health System have access to the 70 degree below zero freezers needed for one of the vaccines thanks to their affiliations with medical schools who use them for research. He says the best way to get community buy-in for the vaccines is to be “extraordinarily transparent” about the process and carefully explain the risks and benefits.
Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical director of infection prevention and control at The University of Kansas Health System, said many people enroll in the trials out of a sense of duty. He emphasized that all hospital services are absolutely safe during the pandemic as there have been no cases of staff catching COVID-19 in the hospital. He said counties with mask mandates have proven to have lower infection rates. His advice is, “Think and act positive, but test negative.”
Steve Stites, MD, chief medical officer at The University of Kansas Health system, said the health system is able to staff all of its beds, even when shifting some patients to alternate care areas. He says the idea of setting up “MASH tents” probably would not work because they could not staff them. He says, “Right now the whole country is on fire, and the only way to put out that fire is with good infection control measures.” He says medical science has proved “masking clearly works.”
Friday, November 20 at 8:00 a.m. is the next Morning Media Update. Kansas Governor Laura Kelly will join us to talk about her recent statewide order requiring masks for everyone.
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.