COVID-19 case numbers are declining nationally and locally, something that Dr. Dana Hawkinson looked at as a positive development.
Dr. Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control, reported a continuing decline in the number of COVID-19 inpatients at the University of Kansas Health System on Monday morning.
The number of active COVID inpatients at KU Health System dropped 11 from Friday to Monday, and was at 21 on Monday morning, Dr. Hawkinson reported. An additional 38 COVID patients were in the hospital, but were no longer in the acute infection stage.
Lower hospital numbers may be the best indicator of the actual impact of infections in the community, according to Dr. Hawkinson. He believes the lower numbers are the result of mask mandates, which should not be ended too soon.
For holiday travel this year, Dr. Hawkinson said the main difference from last year is vaccinations, and that because not enough people are vaccinated, people will need to take the same precautions as last year, masking, distancing, keeping in the same social bubble and staying in small groups.
Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer at KU Health System, is in favor of keeping the mask mandates, at least until 90 percent of the population is vaccinated.
“My fear is we’re going to lift them (mask mandates) just as the weather gets cold, schools are in full throttle and the holidays are coming, which means that come January and February, we’ll be in trouble again, because we don’t have enough people vaccinated,” Dr. Stites said.
“If the last two years has taught us anything, it’s that when numbers get better, people want to act like things are normal when they’re not quite normal yet, and as a result we get ourselves back in trouble and we have to go back to all the public health measures,” Dr. Stites said.
His suggestion is not to take masks off until they get to the 85 or 90 percent vaccination rate recommended by Dr. Anthony Fauci, (director of NIAID), he said.
Dr. Stites said hospitals are still full with non-COVID patients, and many of them were sicker because of missed checkups and screenings. It affects how many transfer patients the health system can take, according to Dr. Stites. He added he was in favor of area companies that have mandated vaccinations for their employees.
At the Monday discussion, the doctors also discussed mammograms, patients who had delayed treatment because of COVID-19 and patients who got a second opinion. Some patients who had put off their screenings are coming in with later stages of cancer, according to the doctors. To view this discussion, visit https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/551159529173102.
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, Oct. 5, at the Kansas National Guard Armory, 100 S. 20th, Kansas City, Kansas. 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 59 total COVID-19 patients on Monday, Oct. 4, a decrease of eight since Friday, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control. Twenty-one patients with the active virus were inpatients on Monday, a decrease of 11 from Friday. Three of the active patients were vaccinated. Four patients were in the intensive care unit, a decrease of four from Friday. None of the ICU patients was vaccinated. Four patients were on ventilators on Monday, a decrease of two from Friday. Thirty-eight other patients were still hospitalized from COVID, but were out of the acute infection phase, an increase of three from Friday.
Wyandotte County reported a cumulative 24,111 cases on Monday, Oct. 4, an increase of 77 cases since Friday, Oct. 1, according to the Unified Government Health Department’s COVID-19 webpage. There were a cumulative total of 363 deaths on Monday, no change from Friday.
On Wednesday, Sept. 29, the Unified Government Health Department reported that 48.9 percent of Wyandotte County residents had received at least one dose of vaccine. Those completing their vaccinations totaled about 42.5 percent.
The percentage of Wyandotte County residents who were age 12 and older who had received at least one dose was 60.2 percent.
The Mid-America Regional Council reported 217,061 cumulative cases on Monday in Greater Kansas City, a nine-county area. There were a cumulative total of 2,957 deaths. The daily average of new hospitalizations was 95.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported 413,119 cumulative COVID-19 cases in Kansas on Monday, Oct. 4, an increase of 1,817 since Friday, Oct. 1. There was a total of 6,071 cumulative deaths reported statewide, an increase of three from Friday.
The KDHE reported 75,358 cumulative COVID-19 cases in Johnson County on Monday, Oct. 4, an increase of 253 since Oct. 1. Leavenworth County had 10,021 cases on Oct. 4, an increase of 49 since Oct. 1. Sedgwick County (the Wichita area) reported 77,281 cases on Oct. 4, an increase of 433 since Oct. 1.
On Monday night, there were a cumulative 43,852,255 COVID-19 cases in the United States, with a cumulative 703,278 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. Fifty-seven percent of the U.S. population was fully vaccinated, according to the center.
New COVID-19 cases were rising in United Kingdom, 29,719; Turkey, 27,351; U.S., 25,215; Russia, 25,161; and India, 20,083.
Links
To view a University of Kansas Health System video, visit https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/551159529173102.
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.