Hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients have increased from 10 to 18 in recent days at the University of Kansas Health System, according to a news conference on Thursday morning.
Dr. Dana Hawkinson said that the increase in COVID-19 patients was “pretty scary” and really concerning. Of the 18 patients, eight require critical care in the intensive care unit and three are on ventilators, he said. The hospital reported 14 COVID-19 patients on Wednesday morning and 11 on Tuesday. The increase is possibly due to Memorial Day activities.
Dr. Steve Lauer, a pediatrician at the University of Kansas Health System, said as society opens up, the numbers are going up. People have to continue to be aware of the risk that exists and to think of how to protect themselves, their children and families, he said. They will have to ask themselves what is the risk-benefit to activities.
Dr. Hawkinson, who participated in the news conference by a video link from Florida, talked about how to lessen the risks while traveling. He advocated wearing masks and goggles on planes, as well as frequent hand-washing or using hand sanitizer, and socially distancing. He said in his experience, the beaches were not dangerous as long as people were socially distancing and had space to do so. Those who are considering a trip should weigh the risks of traveling to the rewards.
He said he was not too worried about staying in a hotel or other vacation place, as there are a lot of health measures, such as extra cleaning, being taken. While the virus can live on surfaces, he said, as time goes by, the virus will break down.
Dr. Lauer said if a family is considering a trip to see relatives, parents might consider not going too far away. It is difficult to get children under age 2 to wear a mask.
If the trip involves seeing the grandparents or people who could be at risk, they might consider how important it is, he said. Also, when people return from certain parts of the country, the state could recommend that they need to be in quarantine.
He is not worried about swimming in a lake this year, any more than last year, he said. Chlorinated water in pools is effective in killing viruses. What is more of a problem is people standing in or around a pool, less than 6 feet from each other, he said.
Dr. Lauer said kids need to get their annual physicals and vaccinations this year. If they don’t they could see more cases of measles, polio and pertussis, he said.
When it comes to youth baseball, he said parents need to make sure that players stay 6 feet apart in the dugout, and that parents and families stay 6 feet apart from others in the stands. Parents need to make sure safety precautions are being followed because COVID-19 is still a risk, he said.
Wyandotte County reported 1,575 cases and 76 deaths at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, according to the Unified Government COVID-19 page. It was an increase of 24 cases since Wednesday. The number of deaths was the same.
The KU doctors’ news conference is online at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/.
The UG’s COVID-19 information page is at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information.
Wyandotte County is currently under Phase 3. See covid.ks.gov.
The state plan’s frequently asked questions page is at https://covid.ks.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Reopening-FAQ_5.19.2020_Final.pdf.
Test sites are listed at https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19.
The CDC’s COVID-19 web page is at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html.