Becoming resilient during the COVID-19 pandemic was discussed at a University of Kansas Health System news conference on Thursday morning.
Archbishop Joseph Naumann of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas and Bishop Susan Candea of the Central States Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America discussed hope and resiliency for the community during the pandemic.
Archbishop Naumann of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, said he would encourage a person of faith to turn to the Lord or to the Scriptures and read from the word of God. Prayer needs to be real.
“An important part is listening to the Lord, and if we do that, we know the Lord is with us,” he said. “A phrase that’s most often used in the Scriptures is ‘Be not afraid.’”
He said he would encourage people to open their hearts to the Lord, be honest and hear the response that the Lord is with them.
In a lot of ways, he said, the Lord is inviting people to show concern and to be witnesses of hope.
Physical exercise and not overloading on the news also is important, he said.
On a biochemical level, fear can lead to changes in the brain and lead to inflammatory processes, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson of KU Health System.
Archbishop Naumann said, “One of the ways I think we can come through this fast is not to be so inward-focused., when you’re feeling down, to call somebody else to get support from them but also to give support and encouragement. There are a lot of ways the Lord is inviting us to show our love and concern to others in the community at this time and to be witnesses of hope.”
Bishop Susan Candea of the Central States Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America said people are fearful, for good reason.
Walking is her way of dealing with COVID-19 fears. She has walked quite a lot, she said, and also has found it helpful to journal and write about it.
While they are not able to sing in the congregations the same way, there is still good music that can be listened to, for example, on YouTube, and she likes the song, “Be Not Afraid.”
It reminds her the fear is not the ultimate reality and it brings her to a better place, she said.
“It is an opportunity to learn to love deeper our neighbors, ourselves, to connect with God and our spirituality,” she said.
Bishop Candea said as challenging as it is, there is an opportunity to find hope in ways that are real and authentic, and can “really make a difference in changing the way we understand our life together as a community and on this planet. So that is the hope that keeps me going, that there is something more at work, and I want to be part of this as we come through it.”
Dr. Hawkinson said exercise, music and art were good ways to break out of the harmful stress and anxiety surrounding COVID-19.
The University of Kansas Health System reported 26 COVID-19 patients in the hospital on Thursday morning, compared to 23 on Wednesday, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection control and prevention at KU Health. Nine of the patients were in the intensive care unit, an increase of two since Wednesday, and five were on ventilators, an increase of two.
Wyandotte County reported 5,448 cumulative COVID-19 cases at 4 p.m. Thursday, an increase of 51 cases since Wednesday. There were 109 cumulative deaths, no change since Wednesday.
Free testing offered
Free testing is offered from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Unified Government Health Department parking lot at 6th and Ann, Kansas City, Kansas. For more information, call 311.
For more information on who may be tested and what to bring, visit https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19.
The KU doctors’ news conference is online at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/221948789231582.
The UG Health Department sports order is online at https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/08132020localhealthofficerorderregardingsports.pdf.
The Wyandotte County school start order is online at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information.
Wyandotte County is under a mandatory mask order and is in Phase 3 of the state’s reopening plan. For more information, residents may visit the UG COVID-19 website at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information or call 311 for more information.
The CDC’s COVID-19 web page is at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html.