A clinical trial is underway at Children’s Mercy Hospital to determine the correct dose of COVID-19 vaccine for children.
Dr. Barbara Pahud said the phase 1 clinical trial was started about two weeks ago for children 6 months to 11 years old. The trial will determine if children should get a different sized dose than adults.
Dr. Pahud is research director of pediatrics infectious diseases at Children’s Mercy Hospital and clinical associate professor of pediatrics at the KU School of Medicine. She spoke at the University of Kansas Health System news conference Friday morning.
They are trying to find a vaccine dose for children that is immunogenic and does not have many side effects, she said.
They are still enrolling children in the phase 1 study, according to Dr. Pahud, and they are close to finding the correct dose for children. About six places in the world are running phase 1 clinical trials for children, she said.
As soon as these six centers find the correct dose for children, that dose will get locked in, and then they will begin doing the clinical trials that have been seen everywhere around the world for adults.
They will enroll more children in the trials at that point, she said.
Dr. Pahud said that quite often, vaccines given to children are in smaller doses than those given to adults. For example, the varicella vaccine for children is a much smaller dose than the zoster vaccine given to adults, she said. The vaccine protects children from getting varicella. Once people get varicella, they can get it again as an adult as zoster or shingles, she said.
Dr. Pahud said Pfizer has already finished acquiring the data they need to submit to the FDA for the emergency use authorization for the COVID-19 vaccine for children 12 and older. The FDA is busy reviewing the data for the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, and as soon as it is completed, they will be able to review the data for the vaccine for children over 12.
The study currently underway at Children’s Mercy is for 6 months to 11 years old, and the major trial hasn’t started yet, Dr. Pahud said.
“At Children’s Mercy, we are trying to make uncomfortable situations as comfortable as we can,” Dr. Pahud said.
They will be given numbing agents to the children before they get blood draws, she said. However, it’s possible some children may be upset not because they are hurting but because they are afraid, she said.
On another topic, Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control at KU Health System, said studies have shown that the risks are much greater of not getting the COVID-19 vaccine than getting the vaccine. Those who get the disease have a higher risk of medical complications than those who get the vaccine. Data coming out recently showed the vaccine is safe for pregnancy.
Dr. Hawkinson said about 20 percent (or one out of five) of the people who get COVID-19 get blood clots in their legs or lungs. The risk shown in the Johnson and Johnson vaccine for blood clots in the brain was about one in a million, he said.
New data has shown the risk of mortality increases in the six months following getting COVID-19 because of the long hauler syndrome, he said.
“There’s a risk-benefit in everything we do,” Dr. Pahud said. Even Tylenol, an over-the-counter medication, can cause liver failure in a very small number of people, she said. People just need to weigh the benefits versus the risks, she said.
Dr. Hawkinson said they have seen an overwhelming benefit from getting these vaccines.
Walk-in vaccinations available Saturday
Free walk-in vaccinations are available Saturday, April 24, for Wyandotte County residents and workers.
One Unified Government Health Department vaccination site, at the Kansas National Guard Armory, 100 S. 20th St., (18th and Ridge), Kansas City, Kansas, will be open from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, April 24. Wyandotte County residents 18 and older may get a vaccine.
The other UG Health Department vaccination sites will be closed on Saturday, and will reopen on Monday, April 26.
Wyandotte County residents and those who work in Wyandotte County may walk in for a COVID-19 vaccination during open hours. Appointments also are being scheduled for the Health Department vaccine sites.
All Kansas residents can make an appointment to be vaccinated at any of the Health Department’s vaccination facilities on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Kansas residents who wish to schedule an appointment or any Wyandotte County resident may use the Health Department’s self-scheduling tool at WycoVaccines.org and click on a blue button that says, “Click here to schedule an appointment online.” The page is available in Spanish by clicking at the top of the page.
Wyandotte County residents who don’t have an internet connection may call 3-1-1 or 913-573-5311 for assistance in scheduling their vaccination appointment time and date.
People coming in for an appointment may be asked to show they live in Kansas, such as showing a driver’s license, a piece of mail addressed to them, or similar paperwork.
To see more information about Health Department vaccinations and next week’s schedule, visit WycoVaccines.org.
Other sites available for vaccinations
KU Health System offers vaccinations seven days a week at different locations. Appointments are required. Current patients may use MyChart to make an appointment. Others may call 913-588-1227 or visit kansashealthsystem.com/vaccine to see if vaccines are available.
The University of Kansas Health System also has vaccinations for Wyandotte and Johnson county residents. Any residents of Kansas can call to get an appointment whether they are patients or not at the health system.
There are also pharmacies giving COVID-19 vaccinations in Wyandotte County by appointment, when available. These include Price Chopper and Hen House pharmacy at 76th and State Avenue, and 81st and State Avenue (see https://www.ballsfoodspharmacy.com/), and Medicine Shoppe pharmacy at 65th and Parallel by appointment when available (see https://www.facebook.com/The-Medicine-Shoppe-Kansas-City-281548241870522). CVS pharmacy also has announced that it will offer COVID-19 vaccines at one of its stores in Kansas City, Kansas. Registration is at CVS.com.
Case numbers reported
The University of Kansas Health System reported COVID-19 cases are staying level. There were 10 active COVID-19 patients on Friday morning, the same as Thursday, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control. He said it was encouraging that they were under 20 COVID-19 patients heading into the weekend. Of the 10 patients, five were in the intensive care unit, a decrease of one since Thursday. Three patients were on a ventilator, the same number as Thursday. There were another eight COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized but are out of the acute infection phase, the same number as Thursday. There is a total 18 patients, no change since Thursday.
Wyandotte County reported an increase of 14 COVID-19 cases on Friday, April 23, for a cumulative 18,357 cases, according to the Unified Government Health Department’s COVID-19 webpage. There was a cumulative total of 290 deaths reported, an increase of one since Thursday.
The Mid-America Regional Council’s COVID-19 dashboard reported 169,156 cumulative COVID-19 cases on Friday, an increase of 223 cases. The daily average of new hospitalizations was 69. The number of cumulative deaths was 2,377.
The state of Kansas reported 307,372 cumulative COVID-19 cases on Friday, April 23, an increase of 489 cases since Wednesday. There were a total cumulative 4,968 deaths reported statewide, an increase of seven.
The Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 dashboard on Friday night reported 31,991,750 cumulative cases in the United States, with 571,197 total deaths reported nationwide.
Free testing available Saturday
COVID-19 testing is scheduled beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday, April 24, at Lowe’s, 6920 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. The tests are through WellHealth and appointments are required to www.gogettested.com/kansas.
Unified Government Health Department COVID-19 free testing site at the Kansas National Guard Armory, 100 S. 20th (18th and Ridge), Kansas City, Kansas, is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 24. The other Health Department sites will be closed on Saturday.
For more information, visit https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19. To see if there is any change to the schedule, visit https://www.facebook.com/UGHealthDept. Appointments are not needed.
Tests from the Health Department are free for those who live or work in Wyandotte County. They are saliva tests.
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.
The Health Department’s general contact page is at https://www.wycokck.org/Health/Contact.aspx. Their 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.
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/753514495334868.
The University of Kansas Health System COVID-19 update page is at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/292961702392386.
A weekly vaccine report for the state of Kansas is at
https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/DocumentCenter/View/123/Vaccine-Historical-Document-22521?bidId=.
Wyandotte County has a local mask and social distancing ordinance approved by the UG Commission. 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 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.