It was a “call to arms,” said Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer of the University of Kansas Health System, at Tuesday’s news conference.
He was referring to the fight against COVID-19 through vaccinations that are being made available, currently to health care workers, and soon, to an expanding number of people.
Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control, received the Moderna vaccine during the news conference, and said the message for 2021 doesn’t change – don’t meet in large groups, try not to intermingle with people outside your household, and avoid the private gatherings in homes, also.
Two physicians discussed the AstraZeneca vaccine trial, which KU is participating in. Recent news reports out of England stated that the AstraZeneca vaccine is expected to be approved soon there.
During the news conference, Dr. Barbara Pahud, research director of pediatrics infectious diseases at Children’s Mercy Hospital and clinical associate professor of pediatrics at the KU School of Medicine, said that almost 30,000 people in the United States have been enrolled in the AstraZenecca trial.
Dr. Mario Castro, vice chair for clinical and translational research at KU Medical Center, and also a critical care physician, said that nearly 500 people have been enrolled in the AstraZeneca trial regionally, including in the Kansas City area and Wichita area.
He said they have reached their goals for enrolling elderly participants, who are about 30 percent of the trial population, but they still have openings to enroll people of color in the trials.
According to the doctors, while two vaccines, Moderna and Pfizer, are already in use here, there is a need for more vaccines in the world. While Pfizer and Moderna vaccines need to be kept at cold temperatures, some other vaccines under development do not need the same level of cold storage, and so they may be more suited to be used in much of the world.
Even though some of the case numbers were looking better after the holidays, doctors said it is still important to keep wearing masks, distancing and staying away from crowds over the New Year’s Eve holiday.
Quoting from a Beastie Boys song that later was repeated by Chiefs players during their Super Bowl run, Dr. Stites said people will have to fight for their right to party by staying safe this year and away from New Year’s Eve crowds.
This time next year, everyone will be able to go out and celebrate, he said. Until then, people need to distance, wear masks, stay away from large groups and stay home when sick.
Dr. Hawkinson reported 58 acute COVID-19 patients at KU Health System in Kansas City, Kansas, with 26 of those patients in the intensive care unit and 20 on ventilators. There were another 68 recovering patients. The numbers were up very slightly from Monday.
HaysMed in Hays, Kansas, reported 25 total COVID-19 patients, including 15 active patients, 10 recovering and one on a ventilator. The numbers were down slightly from Monday.
Case numbers reported
Wyandotte County reported an increase of 87 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, Dec. 29, according to the Unified Government’s COVID-19 webpage. There were a cumulative 14,312 cases. There were no additional deaths reported, for a cumulative total of 194.
The Mid-America Regional Council’s Kansas City Region COVID-19 Data Hub reported a cumulative 120,578 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, and a total of 1,437 deaths.
The Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 dashboard on Tuesday reported 19,548,706 total cumulative cases in the United States, with 338,544, total deaths.
Free COVID-19 testing available Wednesday
The Unified Government Health Department has moved its COVID-19 testing from the 6th and Ann location to the former Kmart at 78th and State Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas. The hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday this week. There are holiday hours this week. They are scheduled to be open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 30-31, and closed Friday, Jan. 1. Check in advance to see if the schedule changes because of the weather.
Tests are free for those who live or work in Wyandotte County. The tests are nasopharyngeal swab tests. The Health Department no longer uses saliva tests.
The tests now are open to asymptomatic people as well as those who have symptoms or have been exposed to COVID-19. Check with the UG Health Department’s Facebook page to see if there have been any changes in the schedule. Bring something that shows that you live or work in Wyandotte County, such as a utility bill.
Free COVID-19 tests also are scheduled from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday at Pierson Community Center, 1800 S. 55th St., Kansas City, Kansas. Registration is at www.GoGetTested.com/Kansas. Check in advance to see if schedules change because of the weather.
Testing sites are at https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19.
For more test sites, also see https://www.gogettested.com/kansas.
For more information about the testing site at the former Kmart location, visit https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/10092020_newtestingsitewyco.pdf.
To see information about the UG giving vaccines to health care workers, visit https://wyandotteonline.com/ug-to-start-giving-covid-19-vaccines-to-health-department-and-ems-personnel-next-week/.
The KU doctors’ news conference is at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/841464193297383.
The KDHE vaccine report is at https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1677/Vaccine-Update-12-16-20.
Cards and letters of encouragement for caregivers at KU Health System may be sent to Share Joy, care of Patient Relations, 4000 Cambridge St., Mailstop 1021, Kansas City, Kansas, 66160. Emails can be sent to [email protected].
Wyandotte County is under a mandatory mask and social distancing order. Also, the Wyandotte County health order with a limit of 10 persons to a gathering, and a closing time of 10 p.m. for restaurants and bars, with other new restrictions, is at https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/11162020localhealthorderexecuted.pdf.
The UG COVID-19 webpage is at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information.
The KDHE’s COVID-19 webpage is at https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/.
The KC Region COVID-19 Hub dashboard is at https://marc2.org/covidhub/.
The Wyandotte County page on the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 website is at https://bao.arcgis.com/covid-19/jhu/county/20209.html.
The CDC’s COVID-19 webpage is at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html.
