Doctors said they were able to find a way to continue youth sports safely during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. David Smith, medical director of youth sports medicine at the University of Kansas Health System, said although many sports events had to be canceled in the early days of the pandemic, eventually many athletes were able to safely compete in indoor and outdoor sports.
Youth sports have been slowly increasing as they see the community spread of COVID-19 decrease, he said.
The doctors discussed the challenges and accomplishments of youth sports medicine at a news conference on Monday morning at the University of Kansas Health System.
The Kansas State High School Activities Association recently passed a measure allowing more participation on the court, but still requiring masks and requiring athletes and others to stay in their bubbles.
Not too surprisingly, some Kansas communities were up in arms about not being able to go to the gym and watch their kids play, and some of them did not want to wear masks, Dr. Smith said. But the youth sports organization stood by its decision to require masks and to limit the number of people at events.
Not having school in session for long periods of time has had a devastating effect on youth, he said, but if athletes and others keep wearing their masks, eventually life will return to normal.
Dr. Smith also said that the infection rate in the community played an important role in the infection rate of athletes.
For the most part, COVID-19 wasn’t spreading among athletes during their practices and games, he believes. It’s usually social activities that spread it.
For example, in track, an outdoor sport, athletes usually like to congregate, socialize and eat snacks together – all things they have to be careful about, he said. It’s important to keep athletes out of the social circles.
In the fall, he saw sports where some athletes were very good about adhering to social distancing, hand washing and mask-wearing, and some were not, he said. The same could be said for coaches. He recalled one instance of a person eating a candy bar while handing out water, not a safe practice.
Although outdoor sports are generally safer than indoor sports, Dr. Smith said indoor sports can be made just as safe if people adhere to safety measures, and a low-risk sport could be turned into high-risk if the athletes are not following the safety precautions. He does not like the distinctions that were made earlier between low-risk and high-risk sports.
Dr. Smith also discussed the risk of heart damage to athletes who have had COVID-19. There are guidelines for clearing athletes for competition, he said.
There are protocols for a graduated return to play, starting with exercise at a low level and working up gradually over a number of days to full return to play, he said. These decisions on returning to competition should be made with the athlete’s doctor.
With case numbers and hospitalization numbers trending down, Dr. Nathan Bahr, infection control physician at KU Health System, said it was so important for people not to let their guard down. They have to try to keep limiting the spread the best they can, he said.
Dr. Bahr also discussed the recent news that the effectiveness of the AstraZeneca vaccine against the South African strain of COVID-19 is being questioned. Dr. Bahr said vaccine manufacturers should be able to adjust vaccines quickly to fight variants.
He also said that vaccines are just one tool to fight the virus, and that wearing a mask and maintaining distance are just as important. Letting your guard down now because case numbers are starting to decline is a recipe for disaster and higher infections, according to Dr. Bahr.
Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer at KU Health System, said it’s not safe to visit with people outside your bubble if both have not been vaccinated. Even with vaccination, it’s best to wear a mask, he said.
Vaccines stop people from getting seriously ill and dying, but they don’t stop people from getting infected, he said. He compared the COVID-19 vaccine to the flu shot, You can get sick after getting the vaccine, but not as sick as you might otherwise have been.
Dr. Stite said it’s still possible to spread the virus after being vaccinated. Because of that, mask wearing will still be important, probably for much of this year.
COVID-19 case numbers reported
The total number of COVID-19 active and recovering COVID-19 patients at the University of Kansas Health System was 79 on Friday, a decrease of 10 since Friday, according to Dr. Nathan Bahr, infection control physician at the University of Kansas Health System. There were 27 active COVID-19 patients in the hospital, a decrease of three from Friday. Ten of those patients were in the intensive care unit, the same as Friday, with five on ventilators, an increase of one since Friday. There were another 52 patients hospitalized because of COVID-19 who were out of the acute phase, a decrease of seven since Friday.
Wyandotte County reported an increase of 8 COVID-19 cases on Monday, Feb. 8, according to the Unified Government’s COVID-19 webpage. There were a cumulative 17,209 cases. There was a cumulative total of 237 deaths, no change since Sunday.
The Mid-America Regional Council’s COVID-19 dashboard reported 150,805 cumulative COVID-19 cases on Monday. There were 1,930 cumulative deaths, and 103 was the daily average of new hospitalizations.
The state of Kansas reported 282,960 COVID-19 cases statewide on Monday, an increase of 1,398 cases since Friday, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. The increase in cases from Friday to Monday was about half of the increase from Wednesday to Friday. There were an additional 96 deaths reported, with a cumulative total of 4,197.
The Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 dashboard on Monday night reported 27,094,014 cases in the United States, with 464,941 total deaths nationwide.
Free COVID-19 tests Tuesday
Free COVID-19 tests will be offered from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 9, at All Saints parish, 811 Vermont Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. An appointment is not needed.
The test is offered through the Wyandotte County Health Task Force.
COVID-19 tests also will be available Tuesday, Feb. 9, at the Pierson Community Center parking lot, 1800 S. 55th St., Kansas City, Kansas. Hours are subject to change depending on the weather and other factors. These tests are through WellHealth Management. Appointments are required at the Pierson Community Center. For more information and to schedule a test, visit www.GoGetTested.com/Kansas.
The Unified Government Health Department’s COVID-19 test site at the former Kmart building at 78th and State will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 9. Appointments are not needed for COVID-19 tests. To see if there is any change to the schedule, visit https://www.facebook.com/UGHealthDept.
The Health Department is now offering saliva COVID-19 tests to the public.
Tests from the Health Department are free for those who live or work in Wyandotte County.
The tests 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.
Wyandotte County residents who are interested in getting a COVID-19 vaccine may fill out a survey form at the UG Health Department at https://us.openforms.com/Form/2f2bcc68-3b6a-450b-9007-d39819db6572. Residents will be contacted to make an appointment when vaccine becomes available. The Health Department currently is vaccinating high-contact critical workers, as well as residents over 85.
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.
Saliva testing is now offered at the UG Health Department. For more information, visit https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/02042021-ugphd-saliva-testing-available.pdf.
The KU doctors’ news conference is online at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/422334068850197.
For more information about how Wyandotte County residents over 85 can get a vaccine at the Health Department site, visit https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/02032021_wycovaccinationsage85.pdf.
Vaccine data for the state of Kansas is at https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data.
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.
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.