Category: Health

UG’s public health director recognized for leadership

Juliann Van Liew, director of public health for the Unified Government, has been recognized as one of the “40 Under 40 in Public Health” in recognition of her work.

The de Beaumont Foundation recently announced its 2021 honorees after reviewing applications from hundreds of rising leaders in public health throughout the country. The honorees were selected by a panel of public health professionals for their leadership and impact on their community’s health.

“At a time when public health professionals are being required to adapt and take on monumental challenges, we are incredibly proud of these leaders,” said Brian S. Castrucci, president and CEO of the de Beaumont Foundation. “We created the 40 Under 40 program to recognize and tell the stories of rising leaders who are making a difference in communities across the country. By promoting their work and accomplishments, we hope to attract and inspire a new generation of leaders.”

Honorees are selected for the contributions to their organization, community, and the public health field; for their demonstrated leadership in their organization; collaboration with partners; advancing policy solutions; creative problem-solving; and a commitment to the vision for the community and organization.

Van Liew, who was appointed director of public health in May 2020 has not only risen to the challenge of providing a robust response to a global pandemic but has been deeply committed to issues of health equity and access in our community, working tirelessly to ensure that the community has universal access to critical services, according to a spokesman.

“I found my true home when I entered the world of local governmental public health and realized the power of what can be achieved when local government works in concert with the community,” Van Liew said.

Year after year, Wyandotte is ranked as one of the least healthy counties in Kansas, with residents experiencing high levels of poverty, housing insecurity, chronic disease, violence, and systemic disinvestment. During her tenure, Van Liew has helped the department face these challenges and the public health demands of the 21st century by prioritizing quality improvement, performance management, workforce development, and accreditation through the Public Health Accreditation Board.

Van Liew and her team were influential in publishing and implementing a five-year Community Health Improvement Plan aimed at addressing health access issues, jobs and education, safe and affordable housing, and violence prevention.

Vaccines, masks for children discussed

Pfizer announced Monday that its COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective for children ages 5 to 11.

The company said it would seek authorization for ages 5 to 11 soon, which is necessary for beginning vaccinations.

According to the Pfizer news release, there would be two doses recommended for children, and the size of the dose is about one-third the size of the adult dose. The doses would be given 21 days apart. Pfizer held a trial among children ages 5 to 11, and it showed effectiveness about the same as the 16 to 25 age group.

For more information, visit www.pfizer.com/news/press-release/press-release-detail/pfizer-and-biontech-announce-positive-topline-results.

According to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control at the University of Kansas Health System, the news about the vaccine today was “wonderful.” After Pfizer gives its study results to the FDA, the data will probably be evaluated by mid to late October, he said.

Also discussed on Monday was a study from the University of Kansas that showed that 15 counties in Kansas, including Wyandotte County, that had mask mandates in July 2020 had a lower rate of COVID cases than counties that did not have a mask mandate. The study went through October 2020 and was conducted prior to the vaccines being available.

The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in June. The researchers were Dr. Donna Ginther, dean’s professor of economics and director, Institute for Policy and Social Research at KU, and Dr. Carlos Zambrana, associate researcher at KU.

The counties that had mask mandates had 1,500 fewer hospitalizations and 562 fewer deaths, Dr. Ginther said.

“We found that masks work,” she said.

“It’s essential, especially for young children who cannot yet get the vaccine, that they wear a mask so that they don’t get sick and their families don’t get sick as well,” she said.

The study is at https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2781283.

To see a video of the morning medical update, visit
https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/1218028218716159.

Vaccines, tests available

The former Kmart building at 7836 State Ave., a Unified Government Health Department vaccination site, will be open for testing from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, and for free COVID-19 vaccinations from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday. Walk-ins are accepted. There are incentives being offered for Wyandotte County residents, while supplies last. See WycoVaccines.org.

COVID-19 testing from WellHealth will be available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 21, at the Kansas National Guard Armory, 100 S. 20th. Appointments are necessary. The site is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, and on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. To make an appointment, including a same-day appointment, visit https://www.gogettested.com/kansas.

Mobile vaccines can be requested online at WycoVaccines.org or by calling 3-1-1 (913-573-5311). For more information on the Unified Government Health Department’s vaccine schedule, see WycoVaccines.org.

COVID-19 vaccines and tests are available at other locations in Wyandotte County, including some pharmacies. For locations and availability, visit www.vaccines.gov.

Free vaccinations at KU Health System are open to the public, and appointments are required. 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.

Case numbers reported

The University of Kansas Health System reported 67 total COVID-19 patients on Monday, Sept. 20, an increase of six from Friday, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control. Thirty-five patients with the active virus were inpatients on Monday, an increase of two from Friday. Fifteen patients were in the intensive care unit, a decrease of two from Friday. Only two COVID ICU patients were vaccinated. Nine patients were on ventilators, no change from Friday. Thirty-two other patients were still hospitalized from COVID, but were out of the acute infection phase, a decrease of seven from Friday.

Wyandotte County reported a cumulative 23,591 cases on Monday, Sept. 20, an increase of 89 cases since Friday, Sept. 17, to the Unified Government Health Department’s COVID-19 webpage. There were a cumulative total of 360 deaths on Monday, an increase of six since Friday.

On Wednesday, Sept. 15, the Unified Government Health Department reported that 47.98 percent of Wyandotte County residents had received at least one dose of vaccine. Those completing their vaccinations totaled about 41.34 percent.
The percentage of Wyandotte County residents who were age 12 and older who had received at least one dose was 59 percent.

The Mid-America Regional Council reported 210,596 cases on Monday in Greater Kansas City, a nine-county area. There were a total of 2,832 deaths. The daily average of new hospitalizations was 106.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported 399,369 cumulative COVID-19 cases in Kansas on Monday, Sept. 20, an increase of 2,462 since Friday, Sept. 17. There was a total of 5,916 cumulative deaths reported statewide, an increase of 115 since Sept. 17.

The KDHE reported 73,571 cumulative COVID-19 cases in Johnson County on Sept. 20, an increase of 396 since Sept. 17. Leavenworth County had 9,771 cases on Sept. 20, an increase of 71 since Sept. 17. Sedgwick County (the Wichita area) reported 73,912 cases on Sept. 20, an increase of 678 since Sept. 17.

On Monday, the KHDE reported 11,268 cumulative cases in Douglas County (the Lawrence area), an increase of 81 since Sept. 17. Riley County (the Manhattan area) had 7,457 cumulative cases, an increase of 16 since Sept. 17. Shawnee County (the Topeka area) had 23,959 cumulative cases, an increase of 144 cases since Sept. 17.

On Monday night, there were a cumulative 42,287,755 COVID-19 cases in the United States, with a cumulative 676,059 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.

Links

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 testing 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://www.facebook.com/UGHealthDept or call 3-1-1.

To view details about the extension of the mask order in KCK until Nov. 18, visit https://www.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/ug_extendsmaskmandate_nr_09102021.pdf.

To view the resolution extending the mask order, visit https://www.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/r-62-21.pdf.

FDA panel backs COVID-19 booster shots only for elderly and high-risk Americans

by Laura Olson, Kansas Reflector

Washington — A federal health advisory panel wrestled Friday with whether to widely authorize a booster dose of Pfizer’s two-shot COVID-19 vaccine for most Americans, ultimately recommending that a third dose be offered only to older or higher-risk individuals.

The Biden administration had hoped that states could begin rolling out a wide national booster shot campaign as soon as Monday, and the Food and Drug Administration advisory committee’s decision threw up a roadblock for that goal.

Medical experts on the FDA panel debated the question for hours and expressed skepticism about whether the available data on effectiveness and safety warrant urging every vaccinated American to get another shot.

All but two of the panel’s 18 voting members rejected Pfizer’s request that the company be allowed to offer extra doses to anyone 16 and older, six months after their second dose.

The revised recommendation instead calls on the FDA to allow booster shots for those 65 and older, or at high risk of a severe COVID-19 infection.

The panel’s recommendation is non-binding, but typically followed by top agency officials.

What’s next

Still, questions remain to be answered, including what happens next for Americans who got shots produced by the other authorized COVID-19 manufacturers, Moderna and Johnson and Johnson.

Interpreting who exactly is at high risk of severe COVID-19 — such as health care or other front-line workers — will be up to an advisory panel for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is set to meet Wednesday and Thursday.

That panel’s recommendation will come after the Sept. 20 date that the Biden administration targeted for a national booster shot campaign.

President Joe Biden and his pandemic advisers announced the administration plan for boosters in mid-August, leapfrogging the federal regulatory panels as the administration sought to tamp down another rise in infections and hospitalizations.

Administration officials said the booster plan was announced early to give states time to prepare for another round of shots. But the public announcement appeared to irritate FDA officials involved in the approval process.

Two of the agency’s top vaccine scientists have said they will retire this fall — with the booster process a contributing factor in that decision, according to multiple news reports.

As federal health officials have scrambled to assess data on whether booster shots are needed, the country has been facing a fourth wave of cases, with an average of 145,000 infections and 1,300 deaths per day.

The overwhelming majority of current COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths are among people who have not received a vaccine against the disease.

But a series of studies have suggested that while the protection offered by the three COVID-19 vaccines has remained strong against severe infections, that protection has waned when it comes to asymptomatic or mild infections.

Federal health officials already approved a third COVID-19 shot last month for some immunocompromised individuals, who may not have received strong protection from the initial doses of the vaccine.

Pfizer data

Officials with Pfizer presented their own data Friday in arguing that a third dose also will provide a significant improvement in protection for the broader population.

Sara Oliver, with the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told the panel that it is difficult to assess from the available data whether the waning efficacy is due to the time elapsed since vaccination, or the intense level of contagiousness from the delta variant.

Several panel members expressed frustration with the limited data available.

Paul Offitt, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, said there was too little information on the value of a third dose for younger individuals, who have been at a slightly higher risk of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart.

Offitt said the data does suggest a booster could reduce asymptomatic or mild infections, but questioned how much that reduction could shift infection rates.

“The question becomes, what will be the impact of that on the arch of the pandemic? Which may not be all that much,” Offitt said. “Certainly we all agree that if we really want to impact this pandemic, that means to vaccinate the unvaccinated.”

Several on the panel, including Steven Pergam, with the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, urged the need for including health care workers in the booster doses.

He also argued that reducing even mild infections could lift some strain on deeply overburdened health care systems.

“Do we want to wait until more previously vaccinated people get sick before we prevent them from getting sick?” asked Jay Portnoy, an allergist at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, who serves on the FDA advisory panel—and said he plans to get his third dose as soon as possible.

Kansas Reflector stories, www.kansasreflector.com, may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.

See more at https://kansasreflector.com/2021/09/18/fda-panel-backs-covid-19-booster-shots-only-for-elderly-and-high-risk-americans/.