The Delta variant has changed the COVID-19 picture, according to doctors at the University of Kansas Health System.
Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer, said when the CDC lifted the mask mandates, the Delta variant was not widespread as it is now.
“The Delta variant has changed the story because it is so much more transmissible,” Dr. Stites said.
The Delta variant is a game-changer and they have to respond to it, he said. Otherwise, unvaccinated people are at risk, he said.
He encouraged people to get vaccinated and wear masks.
Dr. Kevin Ault, a gynecologist at KU Health System who is a member of the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, said the committee heard a report Thursday that there could be full vaccine approval sometime in the next few months.
There is a lot of existing safety data for the COVID-19 vaccines, Dr. Ault said. They are definitely not experimental, since tens of millions have now received doses, he added.
The doctors are seeing case numbers rising, and hospitals filling up. Dr. Stites said masks are needed because people are now under siege by the Delta variant.
Dr. Stites said vaccinated people who are around other vaccinated people are probably fine. But vaccinated people who are around unvaccinated people have a chance of getting the Delta variant and they might transmit it to others.
“The risk of death once you’ve been vaccinated has dropped dramatically,” Dr. Stites said. Nationally only about 1 percent of the deaths are in vaccinated patients, he said. Only 3 to 5 percent of those hospitalized have been vaccinated, he added.
The right thing to do is be on the defensive, wear masks, get vaccinated and break the curve, Dr. Stites said.
Dr. Ault said the committee on Thursday looked into reports about side effects such as Guillain Barre Syndrome from the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. The committee found it was extremely rare, about 7.8 cases per million doses in the J and J vaccine.
He also said there is more of a chance people can get the syndrome from COVID-19 itself than from the vaccine. He said people should go ahead and get vaccinated, and if there are any serious side effects, to call their doctors.
The committee also looked at whether a booster should be recommended for immunocompromised people. It will be a few more months before the vaccines will get full approval and doctors can recommend booster shots for immunocompromised persons, he said. The vaccines are not as effective in some immunocompromised persons.
In the meantime, if you have a family member who is immunocompromised, you should get vaccinated to protect them, he said. Masking and social distancing is important in large groups where there could be an immunocompromised person, he added.
“Help us break the curve, get vaccinated and wear a mask,” Dr. Stites said. For more information from this update, visit https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/179523447540956.
Free vaccines available
Central Middle School, 925 Ivandale, will be the site of free COVID-19 vaccines from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, July 24. Those 12 and older may be vaccinated, with ages 12 to 17 needing consent from their mother and father. The event is sponsored by El Centro with assistance from Heart to Heart International. Walk-ins are welcome, and appointments are accepted. The resource fair will include haircuts for kids, school supplies and information tables.
A community COVID vaccine event will take place from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 27, at Harmon High School, 2400 Steele Road, Kansas City, Kansas. The vaccines are for those 12 and up. There also will be a backpack giveaway, free food boxes, mobile dental truck, meal tickets for newly vaccinated participants, free ice cream and music. There will be prizes for teens getting the vaccine. There will be an opportunity to enter a drawing for more prizes.
Free COVID-19 vaccines will be available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday at the Kmart vaccination site, 7836 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. Vaccines are free for people ages 12 and older. There are gifts available, as supplies last.
The Unified Government Health Department has announced there will be free COVID-19 vaccinations at a Sporting KC home match at 7:30 p.m. July 31.
Vaccines will be available for ticketholders attending the games, who are 12 and older. People who get vaccinated will receive a free Sporting KC scarf.
For more information on the Unified Government Health Department’s vaccine schedule, see WycoVaccines.org.
Mobile vaccines can still be requested online at WycoVaccines.org or by calling 3-1-1 (913-573-5311).
Other sites available for vaccinations
Free vaccinations at KU Health System are open to the public. Current patients may use MyChart to make an appointment. Others may call 913-588-1227 or visit kansashealthsystem.com/vaccine to make an appointment to get vaccinated. KU Health System currently is vaccinating residents of Kansas and Missouri who are 12 or older, by appointment only. Those under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian throughout the appointment.
There are also pharmacies giving free COVID-19 vaccinations in Wyandotte County by appointment, when available. These include Price Chopper and Hen House pharmacies, which are now also accepting walk-in vaccinations or appointments, and are starting vaccinations for age 12 and up at those pharmacies that are giving Pfizer vaccine (see https://www.ballsfoodspharmacy.com/).
CVS has announced walk-in appointments for COVID-19 vaccine at some of its stores. Those interested in getting a vaccination at a CVS pharmacy are asked to visit a CVS website in order to make sure there is vaccine available. The website is at www.cvs.com/. Walgreens and Walmart also were listed on www.vaccines.gov as giving vaccinations.
Other pharmacies and sites giving vaccines are listed at www.vaccines.gov. The website also tells whether vaccines are in stock at the locations.
Case numbers reported
A slight decrease in the COVID-19 patients was reported Friday morning at the University of Kansas Health System. There were 33 active COVID-19 patients on Friday morning, a decrease of four from Thursday, according to Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer. Twelve patients were in the intensive care unit, the same as Thursday. Seven were on ventilators, an increase of one. Another 23 patients were hospitalized because of COVID-19 but were out of the acute infection phase, no change. There were 56 total COVID patients, a decrease of four since Thursday.
Wyandotte County reported a cumulative 19,726 cases on Friday, an increase of 54 since Thursday, according to the Unified Government Health Department’s COVID-19 webpage. There was a cumulative total of 302 deaths reported, the same as Thursday.
On Wednesday, July 21, the Unified Government Health Department reported that 38.1 percent of Wyandotte County residents had received at least one dose of vaccine. Those completing their vaccinations totaled about 33 percent.
The percentage of Wyandotte County residents who were age 12 and older who had received at least one dose was 46.9 percent.
The Mid-America Regional Council’s COVID-19 dashboard reported 170,528 cumulative COVID-19 cases on Friday in the Kansas City region. The daily average of new hospitalizations was 95.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported 327,267 cumulative COVID-19 cases in Kansas on Friday, July 23, an increase of 1,539 since Wednesday, July 21. There was a total of 5,239 cumulative deaths reported statewide, an increase of 21 since July 21.
The KDHE reported 61,987cumulative COVID-19 cases in Johnson County on July 23, an increase of 332 since July 21. Leavenworth County had 7,675 cases, an increase of 57 since July 21. Sedgwick County (the Wichita area) reported 59,200 cases, an increase of 221 since July 21.
The Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 dashboard on Friday night reported 34,400,655 COVID-19 cases in the United States, with 610,720 total deaths reported nationwide. There were 55,058 new cases nationwide.
Countries with new cases rising were U.S., 55,058; Brazil, 49,757; Indonesia, 49,509; United Kingdom, 40,029; and India, 35,342, according to Johns Hopkins information.
Vaccine doses reported administered in the United States Thursday, 660,898. Forty-nine percent of the U.S. population was fully vaccinated.
Vaccines administered: California, 84,404; Texas, 72,451; North Carolina, 61,029; Florida, 57,161; New York, 43,208.
Global vaccination progress: China, 28.102 million; India, 5.566 million; Brazil, 1.956 million; France, 1.662 million; and U.S., 660,900.
Free testing available
Free COVID-19 testing is available from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday at the UG Health Department’s central location, the former Kmart, 7836 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. Free gift cards are available to those who get a test, while supplies last.
Besides Health Department sites, free COVID-19 testing is available at several locations in Wyandotte County.
Visit gogettested.com/Kansas and https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19 for more sites.
Wyandotte County residents may contact the Health Department at wycohelp.org to sign up for a test to be delivered to their home.
For more details about free COVID-19 testing offered by the UG Health Department, visit https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19, https://www.facebook.com/UGHealthDept or call 3-1-1.
The Health Department’s general contact page is at https://www.wycokck.org/Health/Contact.aspx. The department’s Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/UGHealthDept.
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. There are more test sites listed on this page.
The University of Kansas Health System’s media update is at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/179523447540956.
The University of Kansas Health System COVID-19 update page is at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/330310795391910.
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 Johns Hopkins Data in Motion, a presentation on critical COVID-19 data in the past 24 hours, is at https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/covid-19-daily-video.