It will be at least a few weeks before doctors will see if lifting mask requirements and reopening has had any effect on the number of COVID-19 cases, according to doctors Tuesday at the University of Kansas Health System news conference.
It is still too early to know if there are any effects from dropping the mask requirements and reopening in some of the surrounding cities in the Kansas City area, according to the doctors.
It’s like throwing a stone in the water and watching the ripple effect, Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer of KU Health System, said. In a few weeks they should know more. They try to gather all the data, and there are signs in them to be very careful with, he added. Still, case numbers and hospitalizations are lower.
Dr. Stites said hospitalizations now are the bellwether of the disease.
There has been a drop in COVID-19 patients at KU Health System in the past few weeks, but some other area hospitals are reporting slight increases in the numbers of COVID-19 patients, Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control, said.
KU Health System had eight total COVID-19 patients Tuesday, with three active patients, and all are asymptomatic, he said. The patients all went to the hospital for other reasons, but tested positive for COVID-19 in their admission or procedure screening.
On Monday, some other hospitals in the area had more COVID-19 patients than KU Health System, according to Dr. Hawkinson.
Dr. Stites said it has probably been over a year since there have been no patients in the COVID-19 intensive care unit at KU Health System.
As Moderna has announced its COVID-19 vaccine has been tested and is 100 percent effective for 12-to-17-year-olds, it is another victory, according to Dr. Stites.
Dr. Hawkinson said vaccines work, and that can be seen from the number of patients who are asymptomatic, and also in the reduced number of nursing home residents who are admitted.
Dr. Stites said he wishes more people were getting vaccinated, especially as some of the large venues are opening. There is a lot of vaccine available, he added.
Dr. Stites said the drop in cases and hospitalizations could be due to the total figures for those who have received a vaccine, plus those who have had COVID-19 previously. It’s possible the total percentage of both groups could be 70 percent, although he added they don’t actually know that figure.
“We are the downstream recipient of those people who are unvaccinated and ill, and have to be hospitalized, and we’re not seeing as many,” Dr. Stites said.
Even though area hospitals’ COVID-19 numbers are mostly down, a few hospitals have seen an uptick, so it means people need to be cautious as they go back out in public, he said.
If the 49 percent nationally who have received a COVID-19 vaccine are added to the 15 to 45 percent who have had COVID-19, there is a significant number of people who are probably more resistant to severe disease, he said.
“They’re not as low as they could be,” Dr. Stites said. “If we had people getting their vaccine, we would really drive this number down.”
Host immunity when people have COVID-19 naturally is to a specific COVID-19 configuration, the original one, and it may not succeed as well against the variants, Dr. Stites said. That is probably what happened in England a few months ago, he added.
Dr. Hawkinson said if they can get 80 to 85 percent of the people to immunity, it cuts down on the number of people who are susceptible and can spread the disease.
“We are getting there, and it’s a step-wise method,” he said. Adding adolescents and children will make a difference.
Dr. Teresa Long, psychiatrist, said she had to spend some time with patients who thought they were too sick to get the vaccine, and let them know that the vaccine would benefit them. Also, she spent some time educating patients who had heard about COVID-19 vaccine sick effects, and explained that the side effects were a couple of days and feeling a little ill, compared to being seriously ill with COVID-19.
She said underlying anxiety disorders have increased during the pandemic. Coping strategies such as going to visit a friend and spend time with others were taken away during the pandemic. Isolation, lack of activity and lack of personal contact worsened depressive symptoms for a lot of people, she added.
Dr. Long advises patients to go ahead and take their time in getting out again if they want. But it is time to get out in the world again, and bring back interaction, she said.
Dr. Roopa Sethi, addiction clinic medical director, said there are different ways of treating those who are dependent on opioids and those who are addicted. Those who are addicted are focused on their need for higher doses.
Dr. Sethi also said that oxycontin pills sold on the street often contain fentanyl, which can be fatal. She advised those who see a behavior change in loved ones to get help from an addiction treatment center.
Free walk-in vaccinations available Wednesday
Free walk-in COVID-19 vaccinations will be available for everyone 12 and older from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 26, at the Kansas National Guard Armory, 100 S. 20th (near 18th and Ridge), Kansas City, Kansas.
The hours for vaccinations at the former Kmart store site at 7836 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas, will be noon to 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 26. People may also schedule vaccinations at WycoVaccines.org.
The vaccination site at the former Best Buy store will be permanently closed on Wednesday, May 26.
The Unified Government Health Department schedule of vaccinations changed recently. To see the schedule and more information about vaccinations, visit WycoVaccines.org or https://www.facebook.com/UGHealthDept.
Those who receive vaccinations are asked to consider bringing an ID to make the process go faster.
The Health Department is doing more mobile vaccinations, and people may request vaccines to be given at different sites in the community by going to WycoVaccines.org and clicking on “mobile vaccine request.” People also may request a ride to vaccination sites on the same page.
UG Health Department vaccinations are now open to people from other counties and states. People may walk in for vaccinations or can schedule them.
Those who wish to schedule an appointment 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. Walk-in appointments also are welcome.
Those 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.
To see more information about Health Department vaccinations and next week’s schedule, visit WycoVaccines.org.
There will be a special children’s vaccination clinic held on Wednesday, May 26, at the former Kmart store at 7836 State Ave. The Health Department will give immunizations needed for school from 1 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. May 26 at a walk-in clinic at the former Kmart. Middle-school age children may receive TDaP, MCV4 and HPV vaccines. Parents should bring the child’s vaccine record. This clinic is for Wyandotte County residents who have KanCare (Medicaid) or are not insured.
There also will be free COVID-19 vaccines at the summer job fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, May 26, at the Kansas City Kansas Community College Technical Education Center, 6565 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. There will be about 30 employers at the job fair. Those attending should bring a resume. Registration is optional to http://ughealth.info/JobFair.
Other sites available for vaccinations
Vaccinations at KU Health System are open to the public. 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.
There are also pharmacies giving free COVID-19 vaccinations in Wyandotte County by appointment, when available. These include Price Chopper and Hen House pharmacies, which are now also accepting walk-in vaccinations or appointments, and are starting vaccinations for age 12 and up at those pharmacies that are giving Pfizer vaccine (see https://www.ballsfoodspharmacy.com/).
CVS has announced walk-in appointments for COVID-19 vaccine at some of its stores. Those interested in getting a vaccination at a CVS pharmacy are asked to visit a CVS website in order to make sure there is vaccine available. The website is at www.cvs.com/. Walgreens and Walmart also were listed on www.vaccines.gov as giving vaccinations.
Other pharmacies and sites giving vaccines are listed at www.vaccines.gov.
Case numbers reported
The number of COVID-19 patients dropped Tuesday at the University of Kansas Health System, according to Dr. Hawkinson. There were three active COVID-19 patients, a decrease of four. None of the patients was in the intensive care unit, or on ventilators, and Monday there were two in the ICU and one on a ventilator. Thirteen other patients were hospitalized because of COVID-19 but were not in the acute infection phase, an increase of three from Monday. The total of 16 patients is down from 17 on Monday.
Wyandotte County reported an increase of six COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, May 25, for a cumulative 18,715cases, according to the Unified Government Health Department’s COVID-19 webpage. There was a cumulative total of 293 deaths reported, no change from Monday.
The Mid-America Regional Council’s COVID-19 dashboard reported 174,069 cumulative COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, an increase of 260 cases since Monday. The daily average of new hospitalizations was 50.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported 313,274 cumulative COVID-19 cases in Kansas on Monday, May 24, an increase of 277 cases since Friday, May 21. There were a total cumulative 5,058 deaths reported statewide, an increase of one.
Johnson County had a cumulative 59,042 cases on Monday, an increase of 81 since Friday, according to the KDHE. Leavenworth County had a cumulative 7,246 cases on Monday, an increase of three since Friday. Sedgwick County had a cumulative 57,127 cases on Monday, an increase of 48 since Friday.
The Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 dashboard on Tuesday night reported 33,165,819 cumulative COVID-19 cases in the United States, with 590,925
total deaths reported nationwide. There were 25,925 new cases nationwide and 427 new deaths nationwide.
States with rising numbers of new cases were Texas, 2,876; North Carolina, 2,422; Washington, 2,005; Florida, 1,606; and Michigan, 1,539.
Countries with rising numbers of new cases were India, 196,427; Brazil, 37,498; U.S., 25,925; Argentina, 22,651; and Colombia, 16,977, according to Johns Hopkins information.
Free testing available Wednesday
Free COVID-19 testing will be available from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 26, at the Vibrant Health – Cordell Meeks Jr. Health Clinic, 4313 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. Testing is in conjunction with the Wyandotte Health Equity Task Force. Appointments are not needed.
Free COVID-19 testing also will be offered from noon to 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 26, at the former Kmart store at 7836 State Ave., and from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Kansas National Guard Armory, 200 S. 20th St., (near 18th and Ridge), Kansas City, Kansas. Appointments are not needed.
The former Best Buy store will be permanently closed on Wednesday.
For more information, about UG Health Department COVID-19 testing sites and hours, 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.
One of the WellHealth sites for free COVID-19 testing is open beginning at 8 a.m. Wednesday, May 26, at Lowe’s at 6920 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. Appointments are required. For more information, to see other testing sites and to make an appointment, visit https://www.gogettested.com/kansas.
The Health Department’s general contact page is at https://www.wycokck.org/Health/Contact.aspx. The department’s 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/320807122909209.
The University of Kansas Health System COVID-19 update page is at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/330310795391910.
A vaccine report for the state of Kansas is at
https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/DocumentCenter/View/123/Vaccine-Historical-Document-22521?bidId=.
Information about the mask ordinance passed April 29, which loosened restrictions in Wyandotte County, is online at https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/updatedwycomaskorder04302021.pdf. The mask order is online at https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/amend-lho-may-6-2021.pdf.
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.