Wyandotte County saw an increase of over 1,000 COVID cases from Friday to Monday, while the University of Kansas Health System reported its highest number ever of active COVID inpatients, at 119, on Monday.
There were six COVID deaths reported in Wyandotte County from Friday to Monday, according to the Unified Government’s COVID hub.
At the University of Kansas Health System news conference on Monday morning, Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control, said they are now seeing more Omicron cases, especially in the eastern part of Kansas.
Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer at KU Health, said what they saw in South Africa and in London was a rapid rise of Omicron cases, although it was not as rapid as what is being experienced here now. After a short while, the cases crested and fell. He said what they’re seeing now in New York is a lot of hospitalizations.
Dr. Hawkinson said hospital deaths are holding fairly steady. Dr. Stites said the average age of Omicron cases in South Africa was a full decade less than the United States.
There could be a decrease in the number of cases diagnosed by the end of January or first week of February, according to Dr. Hawkinson.
School starting again, with some not requiring masks, is a concern for the doctors, as the virus may spread more quickly, according to Dr. Hawkinson. Dr. Stites agreed that children need to wear masks in school.
At the news conference, the doctors said that hospitals are adjusting for the surge, and also that businesses are being affected by it.
Hospitals feeling effects of surge
Dr. Stites said they had to cut some surgeries last week at the hospital.
Chris Ruder, chief operating officer of the Kansas City Division of the KU Health System, said everyone is being moved to the direct patient care role. For example, nurses that had formerly worked at the bedside but recently had been in a different role are coming back to bedside care, he said.
This past weekend, more than 850 staff members at KU Health System were out, either isolated because they were positive for COVID or being tested, he said.
The CDC recently reduced the isolation or quarantine period for some employees to five days, and KU Health System’s isolation time has been reduced from 10 to seven days, according to Dr. Stites. In general, those who have COVID are most contagious from one or two days prior to symptoms, to one to two days after, Dr. Hawkinson said.
Dr. Stites said KU Health System employees reflect the Kansas City case numbers that are skyrocketing.
The big picture, Ruder said, is that Omicron is bad as hospitals have filled up with unvaccinated patients, and beds are not available for other patients.
They have started to delay surgeries and procedures to make sure there will be enough staff to attend to the inpatients, according to Dr. Stites.
Some staff members who were out ill last week are expected to start coming back to work this week, according to Ruder.
Businesses hit hard by surge
Joe Reardon, president and CEO of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, said businesses also are facing some of the same issues, such as having to adjust for employees who are ill with COVID.
Reardon asked the public to be respectful of businesses, to keep employers and customers safe. Businesses are having to make decisions on whether to require wearing masks at their offices or stores, he said. It is a decision each business has to make individually, he said.
If the spread continues, there will be more notes on the doors saying the business is closed down because they do not have enough staff. This is about keeping businesses open, he said.
Reardon said that in the United States, 80 percent of small businesses have 20 or fewer employees. One absence at a small business sometimes can disrupt the business flow for the day, he added.
COVID, according to Reardon, has exposed all their vulnerabilities. Businesses already were having a hard time getting people into employment before the pandemic, and these issues have to be addressed, he said.
The disruption of the supply chain has affected many businesses, he said. The Omicron variant is resulting in more absenteeism, and people should expect supply chain issues across the spectrum. Recovery is not expected until they slow the spread of the disease.
Some school districts are making the difficult decisions on whether to go virtual again because of high absentees after the holidays, he said. One district had 200 absences, and there are not enough substitutes to deal with that.
Reardon said if the schools go back to virtual learning, one of the parents will have to stay home to take care of the children or they will have to find child care.
But 40 percent of the child care businesses in Kansas City have gone out of business because of COVID, Reardon said. The issue of getting kids to a safe place in order for the parents to go to work is very real, he added.
Drs. Stites and Hawkinson cautioned people to be very careful so they can decrease the curve. They advised people to wear masks in public places and to get vaccinated.
To see more of this discussion, visit https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/1303566346824525.
Vaccines and tests available
Free COVID tests and vaccines are available from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 11, and Wednesday, Jan. 12, at Oak Ridge Baptist Church, 9301 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kansas. The tests are through Vibrant Health. Appointments are not required.
The Unified Government’s Kmart facility at 7836 State is on a new schedule, and is open for testing from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.
The Kmart facility is open for free vaccines from noon to 6 p.m. on Fridays. Walk-ins are welcome. For more information, see WycoVaccines.org.
Free COVID vaccines also are available by appointment only at the Health Department building at 6th and Ann Avenue from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
Free COVID testing also is available from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays at the Kansas National Guard Armory, 18th and Ridge.
There also are vaccines and tests available at mobile events.
The vaccines.gov website shows some other vaccination sites open in Wyandotte County.
COVID cases surging here
On Monday, KU Health System reported a record of 119 COVID inpatients, an increase of 19 patients from Friday, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control. The record previously was 115, and it was recorded Dec. 10, 2020. One week ago, the number of active COVID inpatients was 73. Only 11 of the current 119 COVID inpatients are fully vaccinated. Two patients died on Sunday, and the number of deaths in the first 10 days of January was 13. There were 18 COVID patients in the intensive care unit, a decrease of four since Friday. Thirteen patients were on ventilators, an increase of one from Friday. Another 43 patients were hospitalized because of COVID but were out of the acute infection phase, an increase of four since Friday. There was a total of 162 COVID patients at the hospital, an increase of 23 from Friday and 108 more than a week ago.
On Monday, the Unified Government Health Department COVID information website reported 31,097 total cumulative COVID cases, an increase of 1,096 cases since Friday, and a cumulative total of 421 deaths, an increase of six since Friday.
The Mid-America Regional Council’s COVID information dashboard on Monday reported 211 daily new hospitalizations in the nine-county Kansas City area.
The state of Kansas on Monday reported a cumulative total of 579,619 COVID cases, with 7,114 deaths. It was an increase of 13,557 cases since Friday, and an increase of 18 deaths since Friday, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment figures.