Doctors at the University of Kansas Health System said while COVID-19 has been devastating to stem cell transplant and leukemia patients, new therapies have been a game-changer.
Seven transplant patients who were in complete remission died from COVID-19, according to Dr. Joseph McGuirk, division director, hematologic malignancies and cellular therapeutics, and medical director of blood and marrow transplants.
The mortality rate for patients with blood cancer in the hospital is 30 to 35 percent, he said.
Dr. McGuirk recommends that all his patients get the COVID-19 vaccine, even though they may not have as robust an immune response as the general population. He also asks all family members of patients to be vaccinated and to wear masks and socially distance.
Dr. McGuirk said CAR T-cell therapy is a “paradigm shift” in cancer treatment. The treatment uses a patient’s own T-cells, taking them out of the body, then re-engineering them in a lab, putting them back into the body to seek out and destroy blood cancers.
According to Dr. McGuirk, T-cells control the COVID-19 virus, attack and kill the virus, and T-cells also control cancers. Sometimes cancer manipulates the immune system, however, to thrive and populate, he added.
When they are re-engineered, the T-cells are armed to go after the cancer. This treatment, approved by the FDA, is revolutionizing cancer treatment, he said.
The process is now in clinical trials at KU Cancer Center with patients who have solid tumors and cancers, he added. However, it is not experimental, as it has been approved for multiple myeloma and some types of lymphomas, he said.
Some cancers that formerly had a seven percent survival rate now have an 80 percent rate with this T-cell treatment, he said. While it doesn’t work for everyone, the T-cell treatments are seeing many patients survive without a relapse for three years, which is progress toward a curative therapy.
“It’s the most exciting time in the history of cancer therapeutics, in my opinion,” Dr. McGuirk said.
Patients with multiple myeloma, another type of blood cancer, also are more susceptible to COVID-19 as they are immune-compromised, according to Dr. Ala Ola Abdallah, director of plasma cell disorders.
Dr. Abdallah advises the patients to get a COVID-19 vaccine, but the timing of the shot Is critical and needs to be worked out by the medical team. He said his patients have not developed clots after taking the vaccines.
According to Dr. Abdallah, CAR T-cell therapy is a “game-changer” for multiple myeloma patients.
About 75 percent of the patients responded after one treatment, while 33 percent of the patients went into complete remission, a “great revolutionary treatment,” he said. It is a great opportunity to find the cure for myeloma, he said.
Vaccines available Wednesday
Walk-in vaccinations are available Wednesday, April 21, for Wyandotte County residents and workers.
Wyandotte County residents and those who work in Wyandotte County may walk in for a COVID-19 vaccination from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 21, at the former Best Buy store at 10500 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kansas.
Also open for walk-in vaccinations from noon to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 21, will be the former Kmart at 7836 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas.
Vaccinations also will be given from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 21, at the Kansas National Guard Armory, 100 S. 20th St., (near 18th and Ridge), Kansas City, Kansas.
The vaccination sites will have either Moderna or Pfizer vaccines.
Appointments also are being scheduled for the Unified Government Health Department vaccine sites.
The Health Department has expanded vaccine access and starting this week, all Kansas residents can make an appointment to be vaccinated at any of the Health Department’s vaccination facilities on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
The vaccination sites on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays are open to Kansas residents who are 16 and older who have appointments. They also are open to Wyandotte County residents who can walk in for a vaccine without an appointment.
Kansas residents who wish to schedule an appointment or any Wyandotte County resident 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.
Wyandotte County residents 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. Walk-ins also are possible for Wyandotte County residents.
People coming in for an appointment may be asked to show they live in Kansas, such as showing a driver’s license, a piece of mail addressed to them, or similar paperwork.
The Health Department also is adding late afternoon and early morning hours this week, and will have these special days for the next three or four weeks.
Early morning hours will be available at the former Best Buy vaccination site from 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursday.
Later afternoon hours will be from noon to 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays at the former Kmart location.
The Armory will continue with Saturday hours from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. April 24.
To see more information about Health Department vaccinations, visit WycoVaccines.org.
Other sites available for vaccinations
KU Health System offers vaccinations seven days a week at different locations. Appointments are required. Current patients may use MyChart to make an appointment. Others may call 913-588-1227 or visit kansashealthsystem.com/vaccine to see if vaccines are available.
The University of Kansas Health System also has vaccinations for Wyandotte and Johnson county residents. Any residents of Kansas can call to get an appointment whether they are patients or not at the health system.
There are also pharmacies giving COVID-19 vaccinations in Wyandotte County by appointment, when available. These include Price Chopper and Hen House pharmacy at 76th and State Avenue, and 81st and State Avenue (see https://www.ballsfoodspharmacy.com/), and Medicine Shoppe pharmacy at 65th and Parallel by appointment when available (see https://www.facebook.com/The-Medicine-Shoppe-Kansas-City-281548241870522). CVS pharmacy also has announced that it will offer COVID-19 vaccines at one of its stores in Kansas City, Kansas. Registration is at CVS.com.
Case numbers reported
The University of Kansas Health System reported COVID-19 cases have increased since Monday. There were 13 active COVID-19 patients on Tuesday morning, an increase of five since Monday, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control. Of the 13 patients, seven were in the intensive care unit, an increase of one from Monday. Three patients were on a ventilator, the same number as Monday. There were another eight COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized but are out of the acute infection phase, a decrease of one from Monday. There is a total 21 patients, an increase of four since Monday.
Wyandotte County reported an increase of 13 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, April 20, for a cumulative 18,313 cases, according to the Unified Government Health Department’s COVID-19 webpage. There was a cumulative total of 289 deaths reported, no change.
The Mid-America Regional Council’s COVID-19 dashboard reported 168,536 cumulative COVID-19 cases on Tuesday. The daily average of new hospitalizations was 70. The number of cumulative deaths was 2,375.
The state of Kansas reported 306,290 cumulative COVID-19 cases on Monday, April 19, an increase of 429 cases since Friday. There were a total cumulative 4,955 deaths reported statewide. According to KDHE, Johnson County had 57,136 cases, an increase of 68 since Friday; Leavenworth County, 7,141 cases, an increase of five; Sedgwick County (Wichita area), 55,533, an increase of 71; Shawnee County (Topeka area), 17,243 cases, an increase of 44; Douglas County (Lawrence area), 8,704 cases, an increase of 19; Riley County, 4,894 (Manhattan area), an increase of 38.
The Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 dashboard on Tuesday night reported 31,792,110 cumulative cases in the United States, with 568,461 total deaths reported nationwide. There were 67,933 new cases and 477 new deaths. States with the highest case increases were Michigan, 9,171; North Carolina, 5,673; Tennessee, 5,358; New York, 5,026; and Texas, 4,477. Countries with the highest case increases were India, 259,167; U.S., 67,933; Turkey, 55,149; Brazil, 30,624; and Iran, 23,508. See more at https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/covid-19-daily-video.
COVID-19 tests scheduled
Free COVID-19 testing is available from3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Faith Deliverance Family Worship Center, 3043 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. The tests are in conjunction with the Wyandotte County Health Equity Task Force. Appointments are not needed.
COVID-19 testing is scheduled beginning at 8 a.m. Wednesday, April 21, at Lowe’s, 6920 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. The tests are through WellHealth and appointments are required to www.gogettested.com/kansas.
Unified Government Health Department COVID-19 free testing sites at the former Best Buy store, 10500 Parallel Parkway, the former Kmart building at 78th and State, and the Kansas National Guard Armory, 100 S. 20th (18th and Ridge), are scheduled to be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, April 21. For more information, 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.
Tests from the Health Department are free for those who live or work in Wyandotte County. They are saliva tests.
The tests are open to asymptomatic people as well as those who have symptoms or have been exposed to COVID-19. Check with the UG Health Department’s Facebook page to see if there have been any changes in the schedule. Bring something that shows that you live or work in Wyandotte County, such as a utility bill.
The Health Department’s general contact page is at https://www.wycokck.org/Health/Contact.aspx. Their 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/292735519106579.
The University of Kansas Health System COVID-19 update page is at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/292961702392386.
A weekly vaccine report for the state of Kansas is at
https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/DocumentCenter/View/123/Vaccine-Historical-Document-22521?bidId=.
Wyandotte County has a local mask and social distancing ordinance approved by the UG Commission. The UG COVID-19 webpage is at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information.
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.