A slight downturn in today’s numbers of COVID-19 patients being cared for at The University of Kansas Health System. 25 patients are being treated for the virus, down from 28 yesterday. 11 of those patients are in the ICU, same as yesterday. Doctors say the steady numbers reflect the bent curve and hope to keep these levels, rather than see a big surge as society begins to reopen.
Heather Harris, DO, Medical Director HaysMed Campus, Christian Whittington, MD, Family Medicine, Pawnee Valley Campus and Mark Van Norden, DO, Family Medicine, Great Bend Campus joined the panel to put the COVID-19 risk into perspective in rural areas.
Dr Harris in Hays says they’ve seen a steady rise in the number of COVID-19 patients but have had months to plan and put procedures into place to treat them. She stressed the facility is open and safe and she encourages people to come for treatment. The restriction on visitors will be in place for the foreseeable future. She also discussed the special precautions taken with patients from nursing homes and says when it comes to youth summer sports in rural areas, it’s best to follow the phased-in guidelines from the governor’s office.
Dr. Whittington from Pawnee Valley says his facility is using more telehealth visits. He says even though no cases of the virus have been diagnosed there, they are aware that COVID-19 is all around and are taking the same strict precautions as all medical facilities. He expects there to be new cases when society reopens and says they will be ready.
Dr. VanNorden in Great Bend says it’s very likely there are undiagnosed COVID-19 cases in his community and is concerned about what will happen when restrictions are gradually lifted. He expects to see the number of cases go up as testing increases, and says that in getting back to normal life, there are a lot of gray areas. Like all the doctors, he says personal responsibility will ultimately be what keeps the numbers down.
Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical director of infection prevention and control at The University of Kansas Health System says the reality of reopening society is that there will be an increase in the number of COVID-19 patients. He explains we know the disease spreads like wildfire, is hyper-contagious and is everywhere. He says it never really left during the stay-at-home orders. He also addressed the questions of why all patients are tested for COVID-19 before surgery and whether it’s safe to have wisdom teeth removed at this time. And he talked about whether it’s safe for grandparents to visit newborn grandchildren.
Steve Stites, MD, chief medical officer at the health system, says there will be a coronavirus comeback, and we must be ready for the second wave of cases. He says the “heat map” of cases in Kansas looks a lot different today than a month ago, mostly due to clusters of patients, like those in nursing homes or an places of work catching the disease. He says each of us must determine our own acceptable risk, and personal responsibility will be the key to keeping COVID-19 manageable until a vaccine and treatment is found.
Wednesday, May 13 at 8:00 a.m. is the next daily briefing call. David Lisbon, MD, Emergency Medicine and Mark Wiley, MD, Chair of Cardiovascular Medicine and Mary Champion, MD, Ophthalmology are on with Dr. Stites and Dr. Hawkinson to share stories of patients afraid to get care who are risking their lives and health. Doctors will explain how to get the care you need safely.
ATTENTION media members- 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.