Month: July 2020

KU Medical Center to participate in COVID-19 vaccine trial in August

The University of Kansas Medical Center will participate in a COVID-19 vaccine trial in August, according to officials.

Dr. Mario Castro, vice chair for clinical and translational research and a pulmonologist at the KU School of Medicine, said Monday morning at a news conference that KU would participate in the trial of a COVID-19 vaccine originally developed by Oxford University.

KU Med Center will be part of a nationwide trial for one of the vaccines, and there will be 30,000 participants in America, according to Dr. Castro. This particular vaccine is being developed by Astra Zeneca, he said. Antibodies will be measured 15 days after the two injections that will be given, he said. Participants will be studied for two years.

Dr. Castro said they are hoping to enroll more than 1,260 persons in the vaccine trial at KU Medical Center over 60 days, starting in August.

There has already been a smaller trial of this vaccine, he added, and among 1,000 patients tested, there were no major adverse effects reported, although participants may experience symptoms such as headaches, low grade fevers and malaise.

Dr. Castro said one out of three persons participating in the trial will get a placebo, while two out of three will get the vaccine. After the trial is over, those who participated in it will be eligible to get the vaccine when it becomes available, he said.

Dr. Castro said one-fourth of the 30,000 people nationwide in the trial should be over 65. He also said he hopes health care workers participate in it, and others whose work may bring them into contact with people, including teachers, as well as people in minority groups.

Although the trials are being expedited, they are doing them in the safest way possible, according to Dr. Castro.

Those who would like to volunteer for the vaccine trial at KU Medical Center may register their names at the website https://www.coronaviruspreventionnetwork.org/, and enter “KUMC” when prompted for the name of the institution.

Another way to register for the vaccine trial is to call 913-574-3006, he said. Participants should live within a 100-mile range, and there will be trips back and forth to KU Medical Center from time to time. The vaccine trial also will be held in Wichita.

Dr. Dana Hawkinson reported that KU Health System had 33 patients on Monday morning, including 11 in the intensive care unit and four on ventilators. The case numbers were down slightly from Friday.

To see more about the vaccine trials and other topics discussed at the KU Health System news conference Monday morning, visit https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/1141631086203192.

Residents may visit the UG COVID-19 website at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information or call 311 for more information.

COVID-19 data for the metro area is on the KC Region COVID-19 Resource Hub at http://marc-gis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/1c93961075454558b3bf0dfad014feae


The value of social distancing and wearing a mask was demonstrated by the KU doctors, who went into a walk-in freezer to show how far the virus and breath can spread. Masks stopped the breath and particles from spreading. To see the video, visit https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/2378490412455079.


For information on how to make an easy no-sew mask, visit https://wyandotteonline.com/how-to-make-a-no-sew-cloth-mask/.

The state’s COVID-19 test page is at https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/280/COVID-19-Testing.


Wyandotte County is currently under Phase 3. See covid.ks.gov.

The CDC’s COVID-19 web page is at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html.

Sporting KC advances to quarterfinals with victory over Vancouver

Sporting Kansas City advanced to the MLS is Back Tournament Quarterfinals on Sunday night with a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Vancouver Whitecaps FC following a scoreless draw at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Walt Disney World in Florida.

A one-sided contest saw Sporting outshoot Vancouver 36-8 through 90 minutes, setting a club record for most shot attempts in an MLS match, but Whitecaps goalkeeper Thomas Hasal made eight saves as the Canadian side forced penalty kicks to decide the Round of 16 encounter.

The shootout, however, belonged to Sporting goalkeeper Tim Melia, who saved two penalties as Sporting prevailed 3-1 with successful spot kicks from Alan Pulido, Ilie Sanchez and Gianluca Busio.

Sunday’s result sets up a marquee quarterfinal showdown between Sporting and the Philadelphia Union at 7 p.m. Thursday on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and the ESPN app.

The fixture will be the first of four MLS is Back Tournament quarterfinal matchups as competing clubs vie for the 2021 Concacaf Champions League berth awarded to the tournament winner.

Manager Peter Vermes’ men dominated from wire to wire, notably finishing the first 45 minutes with 22 shots-the second-most in the opening half of an MLS match in league history.

The first of several opportunities fell in the 10th minute to Johnny Russell, who chested down Graham Zusi’s superb diagonal ball and beat defender Jake Nerwinski, only for Ranko Veselinovic to block the winger’s right-footed effort.

Weathering wave after wave of Sporting pressure, Vancouver survived three close calls near the 20-minute mark.

An excellent buildup involving Pulido and Russell afforded Zusi space to cross from the right wing to the far post, where Gadi Kinda’s leaping header was pushed aside by the 21-year-old Hasal.

Not long later, Hasal dove at full extension to save Roger Espinoza’s long-range screamer before Russell fired marginally high along the left side of the box.

A rare Vancouver foray into the attacking third required Melia to make two fingertip saves in the space of a minute, with Cristian Dajome and Inbeom Hwang both trying their luck from distance.

At the opposite end of the pitch, Sporting nearly broke through on the stroke of intermission as Graham Smith’s header narrowly missed the mark and Hasal dropped low to palm away Russell’s chested shot off an Espinoza cross.

On the final play of the half, Hasal thwarted Russell’s audacious free kick attempt before Espinoza’s rebound effort was blocked by Derek Cornelius.

Russell continued to push the envelope after the restart, his searching ball from the left channel finding Zusi on the right side of the box, but the defender’s strike lacked the direction to beat Hasal.

Less than 15 minutes later, Russell advanced into the penalty area and unfurled a shot that fizzed wide of the near post and into the side netting.

Despite holding an upper hand throughout the night, Sporting almost fell behind in the 54th minute when Theo Bair’s shot near the top of the box took a wicked deflection off Smith and trickled inches wide of Melia’s right-hand post.

Pulido entered the night with a goal or an assist in his first five appearances for Sporting and very nearly extended his impressive streak in the 66th minute.

A well-worked attack involving several players on the edge of the box culminated with an incisive run from the Mexican, whose left-footed belter was touched onto the post by Hasal.

Gerso Fernandes, Daniel Salloi entered the fray as offensive reinforcements – the latter making his 100th competitive appearance for Sporting – but a resolute Vancouver defense remained difficult to breach.

Smith latched onto another corner kick in the 90th minute, Busio providing the service, but the center back’s header grazed over the woodwork. In second-half stoppage time, Melia notched his last of five saves by smothering Ali Adnan’s knuckling free kick from 25 yards.

The decisive penalty shootout began ominously for Vancouver, as Cristian Dajome’s unsuccessful attempt rattled the post.

Pulido and Whitecaps midfielder subsequently buried their penalties before Ilie picked out the corner to give Sporting a 2-1 advantage.

Melia then thwarted Cornelius, giving Salloi a chance to win the game for Sporting, but his effort was also saved.

Yet Melia wouldn’t be outdone, as he snuffed out Yordy Reyna’s strike to set the stage for Busio.

The 18-year-old stepped to the spot and coolly nestled his shot into the upper corner to seal the shootout win in a game that finished close to 1:30 a.m. local time in Florida.

  • Story from Sporting KC