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COVID-19 vaccines discussed, with answers to questions

The University of Kansas Health System had given out COVID-19 vaccines to more than 400 health care workers by Dec. 23, according to doctors at the health system’s Dec. 23 news conference.

Their experience with the vaccine has been excellent so far, doctors said at the news conference.

After talking with other chief medical officers at Greater Kansas City hospitals, doctors estimated about 30 percent of the health care workers who had been offered the vaccine were turning it down at this time.

They are generally “vaccine-hesitant,” and some want to wait and see how others do with the vaccine.

The doctors said there could be side effects from the vaccine, and they might be worse after the second shot, but they are no worse than the side effects typically associated with the flu vaccine. The usual side effects can be pain at the site of the shot, a mild headache, a mild fever and tiredness or fatigue. In general, if people have any side effects from the vaccines, they have been tolerating them well, according to the doctors.

The second shot with the COVID-19 vaccine is necessary to reach the 95 percent protection level, according to the doctors. The protection will be shorter if people don’t return for the second shot.

Some other vaccine questions-and-answers written by the KU Health System and on the website:

Should I be concerned that development of the vaccine was rushed?

No. Vaccine development has been led by the world’s best scientists. One reason this came about so quickly is because the mRNA approach to creating a vaccine is highly precise. With new techniques, this sequence was developed in a matter of days. Stage 3 clinical trials testing the vaccines on tens of thousands of people have occurred. These all provide confidence in the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine.

Does the vaccine contain a live virus?

No. The COVID-19 vaccine does not contain a live virus.

Does the vaccine prevent spread of the disease?

This hasn’t been fully studied. We hope that it will, but the 2 vaccines coming out studied symptomatic COVID-19 cases. It’s possible that someone could have a mild or asymptomatic case of COVID-19 and be able to spread disease. It’s why the pillars of infection control (including wearing masks and distancing) remain important even after getting the vaccine.

Which is stronger, immunity after vaccination or immunity after recovering from COVID-19?

We believe the body’s immune response to the vaccine is stronger than it is to COVID-19 itself, especially if illness was mild. Trials have shown higher antibody concentrations that lasted longer in the trial patient groups than in people who recovered from COVID-19 after experiencing mild or no symptoms.

When will everyone who wants a COVID-19 vaccine be able to get one?

There are 20 million doses available now. Beginning in January, 5 million doses a week are anticipated to become available. It may be the middle of 2021 before the general public has full access to COVID-19 vaccines.

When will healthy seniors who don’t live in long-term care facilities be able to receive the vaccine?

We don’t yet know these exact details. Distribution is a matter of supply and demand. Today, we do not have the supply to fully meet the demand. This is why national, state and county health departments are working on phased distribution plans that target the highest risk populations first. As supplies increase, we will together be able to meet greater demand.

Will the vaccine protect us from this mutant strain of COVID we’re hearing about?

There isn’t enough data yet to be certain, but we expect the vaccines will offer protection against this mutation. Viruses actually mutate quite frequently. We expect them to. The medical community has been looking at these variations under the microscope since the pandemic began. The fundamental properties of the spike protein we talk about have not changed, so we expect the vaccine to remain effective.

More vaccine question-and-answers are online at https://www.kansashealthsystem.com/news-room/blog/2020/12/covid-19-vaccine-faq.

Case numbers reported

Wyandotte County reported an increase of 88 COVID-19 cases on Thursday, Dec. 24, according to the Unified Government’s COVID-19 webpage. There were a cumulative 13,980 cases. There were two additional deaths reported, for a cumulative total of 193.

The Mid-America Regional Council’s Kansas City Region COVID-19 Data Hub reported 116,720 COVID-19 cases on Dec. 24, with a total of 1,402 deaths in the nine-county regional area. There were 16 additional deaths Thursday. The daily average of new hospitalizations was 174.

Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 dashboard on Thursday reported 18,654,397 cases in the United States, with 329,097 deaths.

COVID-19 testing through the UG Health Department is not scheduled on Christmas, Dec. 25.

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.

For more test sites, also see https://www.gogettested.com/kansas.

For more information about the testing site at the former Kmart location, visit https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/10092020_newtestingsitewyco.pdf.

To see information about the UG giving vaccines to health care workers, visit https://wyandotteonline.com/ug-to-start-giving-covid-19-vaccines-to-health-department-and-ems-personnel-next-week/.

The KDHE vaccine report is at https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1677/Vaccine-Update-12-16-20.

Cards and letters of encouragement for caregivers at KU Health System may be sent to Share Joy, care of Patient Relations, 4000 Cambridge St., Mailstop 1021, Kansas City, Kansas, 66160. Emails can be sent to [email protected].

Wyandotte County is under a mandatory mask and social distancing order. Also, the Wyandotte County health order with a limit of 10 persons to a gathering, and a closing time of 10 p.m. for restaurants and bars, with other new restrictions, is at https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/11162020localhealthorderexecuted.pdf.

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

Tips to celebrate the holidays safely

A graphic that was posted on the Unified Government Health Department social media website offers tips for celebrating the holidays safely.

To be safe, avoid large gatherings and crowds, avoid sharing food and avoid contact with anyone who has symptoms or may have been exposed to COVID-19.

If people are going to have gatherings, they can try to gather outdoors, wear masks and stay six feet apart, according to the UG Health Department. In Wyandotte County, there is a limit of 10 people on gathering sizes, and fewer is better, according to officials.

Health officials stated in a video that the safest way to celebrate is with those who are in their own household already.

The UG Health Department testing site at 78th and State has closed early today for the holidays and will reopen on Monday. It will be open New Year’s Eve and will be closed New Year’s Day.

For other tips on how to safely celebrate the holidays, see a UG Health Department video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sV7Ar2w7-PE.

Finding safe ways to reconnect with family and friends over the holidays

There are ways to connect with families and friends and still stay safe over the holidays, according to Joan Wells, founder of Wellington, an organization that helps to develop relationships in social gatherings.

Wells said usually at this time of year, it’s important to connect at family holiday gatherings and corporate holiday gatherings, but that isn’t possible this year.

There’s a need for people to take time and plan alternative events with family and friends, she said, taking time to design these events.

Sometimes, Zoom calls can be awkward, but people can take time to create unique and fun experiences, she said.

That could mean giving everyone a role in the conversation, or being prepared with digital question cards to ask meaningful questions, she said.

Also virtual meetings can break into smaller groups to have more meaningful conversations, she said.

“You start with really analyzing what is special about this live experience normally,” she said.

Is it that they will encounter and meet new people, or experience amazing entertainment or is it a group competition, she asked. That can be translated into a virtual event.

It also is possible to do virtual networking, as in a cocktail event, she said, by popping in and out of chatrooms to have conversations, she said. She designed that sort of virtual event for the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. It was important to them to assure that their guests were connected to each other, she said.

Also, her company did a virtual event for a Fortune 500 company this year. Usually it’s an in-person event, but this year it was a virtual event that gave people the power of choice, she said. They created a website where 80,000 employees chose one of 50 gifts, letting them know that they were important to the company and they were heard, she said.

“There’s lots of lessons from COVID, and one of them is that companies and people have had the ability to innovate and adapt and really dig deep and form deeper connections and bonds that will be lasting,” Wells said.

Wellington is online at wellingtonexperience.com.

The University of Kansas Health System reported 73 active COVID-19 patients in the hospital on Wednesday morning, down three from Tuesday, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control. There were 28 patients in the intensive care unit, the same number as Tuesday, and 20 were on ventilators, the same as Tuesday. Another 66 patients were in the hospital because of COVID-19 but were out of the acute infection phase, an increase of 11 from Tuesday. There were 139 total COVID-19 patients, a slight decrease from 141 on Tuesday.

HaysMed in Hays, Kansas, reported 23 COVID-19 inpatients, a decrease of four from Tuesday, with 18 active patients and five in the recovery phase.

The numbers of COVID-19 cases in the community are not currently as high as was feared after the Thanksgiving holiday.

Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer at KU Health System, said the next few weeks will be critical. There is already a higher prevalence of COVID-19 in the community now than there was before Thanksgiving, he said.

The chance of COVID-19 spreading at Christmas time grows as families gather together for the holidays, he said.

That is why it is important for people to wear masks, socially distance, wash their hands, cough into their elbow and don’t go out if they’re sick, Dr. Stites said.

Case numbers rose Wednesday

Wyandotte County reported a cumulative 13,892 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, an increase of 423 cases since Tuesday, according to the Unified Government COVID-19 webpage. There was one additional death reported, for a cumulative 191.

Kansas reported an increase of 5,080 COVID-19 cases from Monday to Wednesday, for a cumulative total of 209,689, according to Kansas Department of Health and Environment figures. There were an additional 59 deaths reported statewide, for a cumulative total of 2,507.

Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 dashboard on Wednesday reported 18,458,373 cases in the United States, with 326,124 deaths. It was an increase of 239,907 cases and 3,448 deaths since Tuesday nationwide.

Free COVID-19 testing available 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Thursday

The Unified Government Health Department has moved its COVID-19 testing from the 6th and Ann location to the former Kmart at 78th and State Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas. The hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. There are holiday hours this week. They are open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The test site is open from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 24, and closed Dec. 25.

Tests are free for those who live or work in Wyandotte County. The tests are nasopharyngeal swab tests. The Health Department no longer uses saliva tests.

The tests now 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.

Also, free COVID-19 testing is scheduled to be available at 9 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 26, at Pierson Community Center, 1800 S. 55th St., Kansas City, Kansas. The site is operated by WellHealth, and those interested in a test may visit www.GoGetTested.com/kansas to schedule a COVID-19 test.