Tag: COVID-19

Dr. Lee Norman, Kansas secretary of health, said he hopes Kansas residents don’t look for ways to skirt a new mask order from Gov. Laura Kelly, but will comply with it.

The order is scheduled to go into effect on Friday, July 3.

Dr. Norman and doctors at the University of Kansas Health System news conference Wednesday morning discussed the new order.

Kansas has had hundreds of new COVID-19 cases this week, and currently has about 2,000 new cases every week.

The state reported a cumulative total of 14,990 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday morning, an increase of 547 cases since Monday. There were two additional deaths, for a cumulative total of 272.

Wyandotte County reported 2,312 cumulative total cases at 1 p.m. Wednesday, and cumulative 83 deaths. It was an increase of 80 cases since Tuesday and one more death.

The University of Kansas Health System reported 16 COVID-19 patients in the hospital on Wednesday morning, with three on ventilators. There was one less COVID-19 patient in the hospital since Tuesday, and one more patient on a ventilator. There had been some admissions and some discharges.

Discussing the new state mask order, Dr. Norman said enforcement of the state’s order is planned locally, with local municipalities and counties.

“Ideally people will comply with this willingly,” Dr. Norman said. “I think it’ll be a real struggle, honestly.”

With the legislature limiting the governor’s authority recently, the order will have to be approved by the State Finance Council, a group of legislative leaders meeting on Thursday.

He said they will have to wait until Thursday to see what the details of the governor’s executive order on masks will look like.

In the meantime, some parts of Kansas, including Wyandotte County, are already under a local mask order. The order here went into effect at 5 p.m. Tuesday. Residents are required to wear masks in public places. They also are required to continue social distancing and other measures such as washing their hands.

Johnson County currently doesn’t have a local mask ordinance, but the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners is scheduled to vote on whether to have a mask ordinance on Thursday, according to Dr. Joseph Lemaster, Johnson County health officer.

He said he supports mask-wearing and the Johnson County Health Department has been urging its residents to wear masks all along. Wearing masks of any sort, including homemade, will dramatically reduce the risk of COVID-19 in the population, he said.

There currently are petitions online urging Johnson County to adopt a mask ordinance.

Tracey Osborn Oltjen, president of the Overland Park Chamber of Commerce, said at the news conference that about 70 percent of the businesses there already require masks to be worn.

Dr. Norman said it is frustrating to public health leaders when residents don’t take the advice seriously to wear masks. Part of the problem has been inconsistent messaging, he said. Early, health officials were trying to preserve masks for first-responders and front-line workers and so did not advocate for masks.

Some people now are attacking the idea of wearing masks, when in reality what they are saying is the magnitude of the response is in excess to the risk to them, he said. There is a feeling on the part of some Kansas residents, perhaps those without many cases in their counties, that it is not a risk to them.

Dr. Norman said he has pointed out to people that those who work in nursing homes and meatpacking plants where there are outbreaks, then go home, and the disease could spread.

While the COVID-19 numbers of new cases in Kansas now are more among the 20 to 40-year-old groups, and there is less hospitalization, it is community spread, and it won’t remain in that age group long, he said.

“We cannot let our guard down,” he said.

Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection control at the University of Kansas Health System, said masks act as a barrier, in case people are infected and do not know it. They reduce the spread of the disease to vulnerable and other populations, he said.

At the news conference, a video from Florida Atlantic University was shown that illustrated how droplets spread from a cough.

The droplets can spread six feet or more without any mask. The distance was much reduced with a mask.

A bandana is better than no mask at all. A stitched, pleated cotton mask worked better than a bandana for blocking droplets, Dr. Hawkinson said.

Masks do not reduce your oxygen, and surgeons have been using them for hours at a time, for years, and they are safe, he said. The virus has already been found in mountainous areas as well as in rural areas, he said.

“You are doing this for other people, so you don’t spread it to other people,” Dr. Hawkinson said.

The KU doctors’ news conference is at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/558459555038938.

The Wyandotte County mask order is at https://www.wycokck.org/WycoKCK/media/Health-Department/Documents/Communicable%20Disease/COVID19/06272020LocalHealthOfficerOrderRegardingMasks.pdf.

A news release on the Wyandotte County mask order is at https://www.wycokck.org/WycoKCK/media/Health-Department/Documents/Communicable%20Disease/COVID19/06272020PressReleaseLHORequiresPublicToWearMasks.pdf.

The governor’s news release on mask-wearing is at https://governor.kansas.gov/governor-laura-kelly-announces-masks-must-be-worn-statewide/.

Wyandotte County now has posted an application for nonprofits, government agencies, school districts and businesses in Wyandotte County that want to apply for CARES Act funding. The web address is https://us.openforms.com/Form/6273fe80-8bba-4c18-b4e7-e551096d8a83.

For information on how to make an easy no-sew mask, visit https://wyandotteonline.com/how-to-make-a-no-sew-cloth-mask/.

For more information about COVID-19 testing, including other sites, visit https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19. Residents also may call 3-1-1 for more information about testing.

The state’s COVID-19 test page is at https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/280/COVID-19-Testing.

Residents may visit the UG COVID-19 website at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information or call 311 for more information.

Wyandotte County is currently under Phase 3. See covid.ks.gov.

The state plan’s frequently asked questions page is at https://covid.ks.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Reopening-FAQ_5.19.2020_Final.pdf.

The CDC’s COVID-19 web page is at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html.

Doctors also discuss fireworks

The mask order for counties and the state of Kansas is a good idea, according to doctors at the University of Kansas Health System.

Wyandotte County’s mask order went into effect at 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 30, It requires people in any public indoor spaces to wear masks, and also to wear masks in public places outdoors, including the parks, but not while exercising outside without others around. There are some exceptions. Also, the state of Kansas announced a statewide mask order that will go into effect on Friday.

“We have really good population data suggesting and saying that people or countries or areas that mask have lower spread of disease and have lower mortalities,” Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control at KU Health System, said.

It’s a good culture change, and he hopes it won’t be for long, he added. For the time being, it’s the best thing to do, he said.

People should do the masking in confined areas when they can’t physically distance, Dr. Hawkinson said. That may be for a short time. The masking will not affect people’s ability to breathe in oxygen or exhale carbon dioxide, he said. Some persons may not be able to wear masks for medical reasons, he added.

Dr. Hawkinson said although there is some misinformation circulating on social media, for those who are able medically to wear a mask, there is no evidence that there are problems with air exchange, or a decreased immune system.

“You can have decreased spread of the infection, leading to decreased infection,” Dr. Hawkinson said.

Dr. Dhaval Bhavsar, a surgeon at KU Health System, said surgeons have been wearing masks for hours at a time, and wearing a mask should not cause any problems for those who don’t have medical conditions such as COPD.

Any little skin irritation caused by the mask could be seen by a dermatologist, who may recommend a moisturizer or topical steroid cream, according to the doctors.

The doctors advised leaving the N95 and surgical masks for health care professionals. Have two or three cloth masks, so one can be used and one can be in storage, Dr. Hawkinson said. The masks can be laundered as other clothes.

The doctors also discussed several situations involving masks. In one case, with a relative coming home from the nursing home and having caregivers in the home, the caregivers and the relative should both wear masks, he said. Eye protection or goggles also would help, he said.

Dr. Hawkinson said wearing a mask is a huge culture change here. In Asia, people have been wearing masks for quite a long time, often for pollution. It also helps with allergies, he said.

He said he hoped it won’t have to be that long that people will have to wear masks. He encouraged people to read information about it on the CDC website and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment website, which have data about mask wearing.

Dr. Bhavsar said doctors take the utmost precautions, sterilizing everything, following guidelines, scrubbing, wearing a gown, gloves and surgical masks.

“Why? Because over the years we learned that reduces infections,” he said.

From seeing that, people could learn that wearing a mask could prevent infections.

Being outdoors is better than indoors, Dr. Hawkinson said, especially when you are more than 6 feet apart outdoors.

When asked what would be the primary danger of getting together in a group at an event serving food, he said that people should be aware that if there is a table set up with food, people can have contact with utensils that can spread the disease. If it gets on the hands and someone rubs the eyes or mouth, the virus can spread, he added.

The physical distance from each other is perhaps the most important factor, he said.

“We do know the virus is spread through droplets,” he added. When people breathe out, laugh, cough, or sneeze, droplets may go about 6 feet away, or a little more or less, and that is why masks and proximity are important, he said. Those who can stay 6 to 8 feet away will reduce the risk more of inhaling droplets than if they are close, he added.

Also, masks will provide a barrier, he said, if people have the infection and don’t know it. The mask reduces the chance of spreading the virus, and also reduces the risk of coming into contact with the virus, he said.

Dr. Hawkinson said wearing a mask is a consideration for others and can offer some protection for the wearer, also. When going to a store, people usually aren’t wearing the mask very long. He advised people to clean their hands before putting the mask on, and when taking it off.

Doctors discuss fireworks safety

Dr. Bhavsar, who works with burn patients and plastic surgery patients at KU Health System, said people have been inside for the last three months, and there would probably be many more people lighting fireworks on the Fourth of July, including some who are not experienced at it.

The emergency department at KU saw several fireworks injuries last year, he said.

Sparklers caused the most injuries, and a frequent sparkler injury was when a child touched the middle of it. Sometimes, a small child holding a sparkler turned to the side and someone else was burnt, he said, or made a sudden movement with sparks flying in someone’s face.

Sometimes the hand and face was injured by fireworks, he said. Often, the cause was when a firework did not ignite immediately, and someone went to look at it and light it again, he added.

Seventy-six percent of the injuries were to males, he added.

Once, Dr. Bhavsar said, parents had packed up the fireworks after the Fourth of July, but a child was curious about them. The child was alone at home one day and got into the M80s. The child lost most of his hand, he said.

Jessica Lovell of KU Health System suggested these alternatives to fireworks: Confetti poppers, glow-in-the-dark bubbles, glow sticks, silly string, glow paint, color flashlights and rocket straws.

Dr. Bhavsar’s advice: “Be safe, watch out for kids. Don’t drink and drive. Don’t drink and use fireworks.”

Case numbers improved, compared to Monday

Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control at KU Health System, said there were 17 positive COVID-19 patients at the KU Health System Tuesday morning, including seven in the intensive care unit and two on ventilators. The numbers of patients are headed downward from Monday, when there were 18 cases, and down from 24 before that. Dr. Hawkinson said they have seen COVID-19 patients in the hospital who are younger, including a patient in his mid-40s who they hope will be discharged soon.

Wyandotte County saw an increase of 22 cases from Monday to Tuesday afternoon, for a cumulative total of 2,232, according to the UG COVID-19 website. There were no new deaths, the total number remained the same at 82.

The KU doctors’ news conference is online at
https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/309626300221110.

The Wyandotte County mask order is at https://www.wycokck.org/WycoKCK/media/Health-Department/Documents/Communicable%20Disease/COVID19/06272020LocalHealthOfficerOrderRegardingMasks.pdf.

A news release on the Wyandotte County mask order is at https://www.wycokck.org/WycoKCK/media/Health-Department/Documents/Communicable%20Disease/COVID19/06272020PressReleaseLHORequiresPublicToWearMasks.pdf.

The governor’s news release on mask-wearing is at https://governor.kansas.gov/governor-laura-kelly-announces-masks-must-be-worn-statewide/.

Wyandotte County now has posted an application for nonprofits, government agencies, school districts and businesses in Wyandotte County that want to apply for CARES Act funding. The web address is https://us.openforms.com/Form/6273fe80-8bba-4c18-b4e7-e551096d8a83.

For information on how to make an easy no-sew mask, visit https://wyandotteonline.com/how-to-make-a-no-sew-cloth-mask/

For more information about COVID-19 testing, including other sites, visit https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19. Residents also may call 3-1-1 for more information about testing.

The UG’s COVID-19 information page is at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information.

The state’s COVID-19 test page is at https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/280/COVID-19-Testing

Residents may visit the UG COVID-19 website at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information or call 311 for more information.

Wyandotte County is currently under Phase 3. See covid.ks.gov.

The state plan’s frequently asked questions page is at https://covid.ks.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Reopening-FAQ_5.19.2020_Final.pdf.

The CDC’s COVID-19 web page is at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html.