The University of Kansas Health System was one of several institutions affected by the temporary “pause” of the AstraZeneca vaccine trial.
KU Health System was one of several institutions participating in the clinical trials for a vaccine for COVID-19.
Doctors at the KU Health System news conference on Wednesday morning said they could not comment on the vaccine pause.
However, in general, it is not unusual for clinical trials to be paused to look into individual cases, the doctors said. The trials are making sure the medications are safe, and that is how all studies are done across the nation, Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer at KU Health System , said.
According to a news release from AstraZeneca, the trials were paused because of a single unexplained illness that occurred in one of the trial participants in the United Kingdom. The vaccine came from research at Oxford University.
An independent committee is reviewing the safety data of this illness, according to the news release, referring to it as a “routine action.”
“In large clinical trials, illnesses will happen by chance and must be independently reviewed,” the news release stated. “AstraZeneca is working to expedite the review of the single event to minimise any potential impact on the trial timeline. We are committed to the safety of our participants and the highest standards of conduct in our trials.”
At KU Health System, Dr. Louis Satterwhite, pulmonary and critical care physician at the health system, said there are fewer patients with acute infections in the intensive care unit as compared to several weeks ago, although there are still some.
There also are patients in the recovery stage, past the infectious stage, in the hospital, also.
He said that while it is true that COVID-19 has hit the elderly and those with other conditions hardest, they see the full spectrum of cases, including young and healthy persons with poor outocmes and elderly persons with morbidity conditions, some who have done well.
They often see patients with COVID-19 who develop chronic pulmonary conditions, severe lung diseases, scarring, who are unable to take deep breaths, he said. Some of the patients could be affected for life and never live independently again, he added.
Dr. Catherine Satterwhite, regional health administrator for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said the HHS is now focused on making sure there is good testing available, that people who need testing get tested, and providing technical assistance to help schools reopen safely.
Schools are facing enormous challenges, whether in person or remote learning, across the whole spectrum, she said.
HHS also is trying to help states plan for a possible vaccine, she added. When a vaccine is approved, it will be a massive effort to get it out to the people who need it and to the people who will benefit the most from it, she said.
She said the CDC and other agencies are now working on how to define priority groups for the vaccine. People with underlying conditions, who are more likely to get severe illnesses, and older adults, as well as front-line workers, health care workers, grocery store workers and other essential workers are most likely to be on the priority lists, she said.
The states are working on how to get the vaccine to people, making sure helath care providers are enrolled in the system.
Asked whether he thought society would ever return to normal, Dr. Louis Satterwhite said where they end up may not be the same as 2017, but it would probably not be exactly where they are today. He thought COVID-19 would forever impact lives and society to some degree. Precautions today are needed now, he said. With advanced therapies, they may be able to return to some things they are not doing now, but there might be some precautions going forward.
Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical direction of infection prevention and control, said he thought the virus would still be here in the future. But it may not be the same, as therapies and vaccines are developed. Will it become like the common cough and cold for young people in the future, he wondered. For the next six to 12 months, it will probably be similar, he said. Social norms could determine what people may do. Treatments will probably evolve, maybe to the point where it will be like a sinus infection, with medication available and feeling better in two days, he said.
Dr. Stites said, “There’s an ache in the question,” with people missing what’s normal. People wish they could be at events again, he said, and it’s important to keep wearing masks, social distancing and avoiding crowds in order to be able to participate in them again one day.
He said he thought this will pass one day, and a year from now, people may be back at the Chiefs’ games. It will be closer to where they were in the past, but may never be exactly the same, he added. It’s better today than it was four to five months ago, he added, and they are smarter about the treatment now.
At the KU Health System, there were 19 acute COVID-19 patients, with three in the intensive care unit and two on ventilators, according to Dr. Hawkinson, There were 30 COVID-19 patients in the hospital in the recovery phase.
Outbreaks in Kansas now listed on state website
COVID-19 outbreaks in Kansas now are listed on the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s website, according to Dr. Lee Norman, who spoke at a news conference on Wednesday afternoon.
KDHE on Wednesday released the names of institutions, groups and businesses with outbreaks in Kansas, he said. Only active clusters are listed, he said. After 28 days with no new cases, the cluster will drop off the list, he added.
Groups, educational institutions or organizations that have five or more cases are listed. Businesses with 20 or more cases also are listed.
“This information is important to public health and to inform the public,” Dr. Norman said.
It allows for more transparency, he said, as they get numerous requests from people about where the clusters are. The information helps people make decisions about loved ones, including information involving schools and also nursing homes, he said.
Also, the information will empower Kansans to be more proactive about taking personal risks. If residents see locations they regularly visit on the cluster list, they can make individual decisions to reduce the risk, he said.
The Kansas Chamber of Commerce, a statewide group, on Wednesday asked the governor not to proceed with the release of the names of businesses that have COVID-19 cases.
The KDHE active cluster list is at https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas. It lists outbreaks in groups or organizations with more than five cases. Businesses on the list have outbreaks of 20 or more cases. Several colleges and universities, along with college and university groups and sports, are on the list. The list includes 14 members of the KU football team and 11 members of the K-State football team.
On the KDHE’s active cluster location list from Wyandotte County:
Amazon Fulfillment Center in Kansas City, Kansas, with 42 cases reported.
We Buy BlaKCK, in Kansas City, Kansas, with nine cases.
Bonner Springs Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Bonner Springs, with 51 cases.
Medicalodges Post Acute Care Center in Kansas City, Kansas, with 55 cases.
Ignite Medical Resort in Kansas City, Kansas, with 18 cases.
Kaw River Care and Rehabilitation, Edwardsville, with 18 cases.
Dynasty Volleyball club in Kansas City, Kansas, with six cases.
The Unified Government COVID-19 hub for months has had an outbreak map at https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/ that has shown these outbreaks previously, except the volleyball club.
More COVID-19 testing planned
Dr. Norman also said he presented a state testing strategy to the Kansas SPARKS recovery committee on Wednesday. He said his three testing proposals were viewed favorably. Testing and isolating infected individuals are critical to disease containment, he said.
He said the state would work with commercial and private labs to broaden the testing strategy and reach more people. The goal is to make sure that anyone who wants access to testing would have access, he said.
They would work throughout the state, he said, and also with colleges and nursing facilities as they expand their testing strategies, according to Dr. Norman. They would make sure there isn’t overlap or underlap around the state, he said.
“Significant important decisions are being made at schools based on gating criteria,” Dr. Norman said. It’s important to have all the processes in place and make sure the data used for gating criteria are accurate, he said.
One of the numbers used by school districts to determine the level of disease in the community is the positivity rate of cases. That is the positive cases divided by the total number of cases. As testing has often been restricted to people who have symptoms and not been widespread among the population, some observers have wondered if the positivity rate is a good indication of the actual level of disease in a community.
The gating criteria is being used by school districts to determine whether to reopen schools and whether to reopen sports.
Testing offered Thursday
Pop-up testing will be offered from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10, at Faith Deliverance Family Worship Center, 3043 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas, through the Wyandotte County Health Equity Task Force and Swope Health.
Pop-up testing also will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10, at Vibrant Health Argentine location, 1428 S. 32nd St., Kansas City, Kansas, through the Wyandotte County Health Equity Task Force and Vibrant Health.
Testing also is scheduled to take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10, at the Health Department parking lot, 6th and Ann, Kansas City, Kansas, weather permitting.
Check with the UG’s website, Health Department Facebook page or call 311 to see if there are any changes in the schedule because of weather. Information about testing is at https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19.
Wyandotte County reported an additional 34 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, according to the Unified Government COVID-19 webpage. There is a cumulative total of 6,213. There was on additional death reported since Tuesday, for a total of 119 deaths, according to the webpage.
Kansas reported an increase of 494 cases since Monday, according to Dr. Norman, for a cumulative total of 47,410. There was an increase of 10 deaths since Monday, he said, for a cumulative 495 deaths. He added there may have been delayed reporting over the holiday weekend.
The KU doctors’ news conference is at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/327853101755294.
The KDHE news conference is at https://www.facebook.com/KDHEnews/videos/674403709835994.
The KDHE active cluster list is at https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas.
The Unified Government COVID-19 hub outbreak map at https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/.
To see an NEA list of schools that have had COVID-19 cases, visit https://app.smartsheet.com/b/publish?EQBCT=aa3f2ede7cb2415db943fdaf45866d2f
The UG COVID-19 webpage is at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information.
The KC Region COVID-19 Hub dashboard is at https://marc2.org/covidhub/.
The Unified Government Health Department is collecting input on people’s experiences getting tested for COVID-19 in Wyandotte County. The survey is on the UG website at https://us.openforms.com/Form/ea97a450-3d74-4d86-8d1f-6e340d55cf7c.
The UG Health Department new school and sports guidance is online at https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/09042020fallsportsrecommendations.pdf.
A previous UG 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 KDHE’s COVID-19 webpage is at https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/.
The CDC’s COVID-19 webpage is at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html.