This has been a very difficult year for emergency health care workers.
Dr. Chad Cannon, chair and clinical service chief of emergency medicine at the University of Kansas Health System, said dealing with the pandemic has been the hardest thing he’s had to do in his career. He made his remarks at the University of Kansas Health System news conference Tuesday.
Dr. Cannon said that the hospital’s emergency department is now doing well, after patient volume dropped when the pandemic hit in 2020. Now patients have overcome their fears and have come back to receive emergency care.
In the meantime, some of those who came in during 2020 delayed treatment and were sicker when they did come in.
According to Dr. Cannon, the staff has been extremely safe with a 99 percent vaccination rate. It’s one of the safest places to be, since they have been vaccinated and are wearing a mask, he added. Also, he said no patients got COVID-19 while they were in the emergency department or the hospital.
Starting Tuesday, emergency department patients are being asked if they want to receive the vaccine, he said.
Last year, there was a capacity problem with the emergency department, but that is no longer the case, according to Dr. Cannon. There were times last year when they had to convert other areas to expand capacity for the emergency room.
Now, those who need emergency care should seek it as soon as possible, he said.
Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control, said said a lot of the volume now are typical medical and surgical procedures. He advised people to come to the emergency department early and be evaluated for heart or other symptoms.
According to Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer, COVID-19 is still widespread in the area, and although hospitalization numbers have been decreasing, people can’t let their guards down.
The only way to get back to normal, according to Dr. Stites, is for everyone to get vaccinated.
Free 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 19, at the Kansas National Guard Armory, 100 S. 20th, (near 18th and Ridge), Kansas City, Kansas. Free walk-in vaccinations also will be available from noon to 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 19, at the former Kmart, 7836 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. People also can schedule vaccinations at WycoVaccines.org.
The former Best Buy at 10500 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kansas, will be closed on Wednesday.
The schedule of vaccinations changed recently. To see the new 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.
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 University of Kansas Health System reported that the number of COVID-19 inpatients is steady. Nine persons with the active virus were being treated on Tuesday, no change from Monday, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control. Three of those patients were in the intensive care unit, a decrease of one since Monday. One of those patients was on a ventilator, no change from Monday. There were an additional 11 patients still hospitalized because of COVID-19, but out of the acute infection phase, an increase of one since Monday. There were a total of 20 COVID-19 patients, an increase of one since Monday. According to doctors, overall testing is down, and some of the nine active patients were admitted to the health system for something else, then a routine screening discovered the virus.
Wyandotte County reported an increase of five COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, May 18, for a cumulative 18,657 cases, according to the Unified Government Health Department’s COVID-19 webpage. There was a cumulative total of 292 deaths reported, no change.
The Mid-America Regional Council’s COVID-19 dashboard reported 173,358 cumulative COVID-19 cases, an increase of 160. The daily average of new hospitalizations was 60.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported 312,074 cumulative COVID-19 cases in Kansas on Monday, May 17, an increase of 369 cases since Friday, May 14. There were a total cumulative 5,040 deaths reported statewide, an increase of two.
Johnson County had a cumulative 58,676 cases on Monday, an increase of 177 since Friday, according to the KDHE. Leavenworth County had a cumulative 7,237 cases on Monday, an increase of five since Friday. Sedgwick County had a cumulative 56,838 cases on Monday, an increase of 68 since Friday.
The Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 dashboard on Tuesday night reported 32,996,565 cumulative COVID-19 cases in the United States, with 587,199 total deaths reported nationwide. There were 28,634 new cases nationwide and 392 new deaths nationwide.
States with the highest number of new cases were North Carolina, 2,618; Michigan, 2,576; Texas, 2,4510; Florida, 1,976; and Pennsylvania, 1,474.
Countries with the highest number of new cases were India, 263,533; Brazil, 30,148; Argentina, 28,680; U.S., 28,634; and Iran, 14,209, 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 19, at the Vibrant Health Cordell D. Meeks Jr. Clinic, formerly Children’s Mercy West, at 4313 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. The testing is in conjunction with Vibrant Health and the Wyandotte County Health Equity Task Force. Appointments are not necessary.
Free COVID-19 testing will be available from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 19, at the National Guard Armory, 100 S. 20th, (near 18th and Ridge), Kansas City, Kansas. Free testing also will be available from noon to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the former Kmart, 7836 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. 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 19, 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 at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/1124119091400581.
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 new 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.