Those who have already had COVID-19 should get vaccinated, according to health professionals at the University of Kansas Health System news conference on Friday morning.
Those who have had COVID-19 are safe to be around 10 days after they stop having symptoms, said Amanda Cackler, a registered nurse who is director of quality and safety at the health system. She was answering community questions on Friday morning during a media update.
She said that having COVID-19 naturally helps the immune system, but getting the vaccine can bolster that immunity. She recommended getting the vaccine even if people have already had COVID-19.
When asked another question about how long parents should wait to get their 13-year-old a vaccine if a she had COVID-19 in January, Cackler said they shouldn’t wait.
“There’s still a benefit of getting the COVID-19 vaccine if you’ve had COVID-19, so I wouldn’t wait. If you have the opportunity, go ahead and get it,” Cackler said.
Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control, agreed, although he said he wouldn’t rush. He said there are plenty of vaccine clinics this weekend with walk-in availability.
Immunity by vaccination is a little more robust than immunity by infection, Dr. Hawkinson said. Advice from the CDC is that there is no minimum time between an infection and the time to get a vaccination, he said. However, patients are asked to wait more than 10 days between the time of their infection and the vaccination, in order to fulfill the isolation time.
They were also asked if someone has had COVID-19 and is not planning to get the vaccine, can they get COVID-19 again, be asymptomatic and still transmit the virus.
Cackler said there is probably a risk there. She is not sure about the rate of transmission and getting the disease again. What they know is the vaccine is helpful in preventing transmission, she said. Her advice would be to encourage her to get the vaccine.
Dr. Hawkinson said from early studies, last year some patients were less symptomatic and doing well, while others were more symptomatic and had to go to the hospital, some with bad outcomes.
If you get reinfected, you could be asymptomatic, he said. But they don’t have information about how much will be transmitted and spread to others, he said. The best advice is to get vaccinated, he added.
Dr. Hawkinson also said people should get vaccinated in order to have good protection against variants, including the main variant in India.
He said he would look forward to any booster vaccine that would fight against the South African and India variants.
In other news Friday, the Mid-America Regional Council sent out a news release that the region’s public health directors recommended that students continue wearing masks in school, following the guidance of the CDC.
Spokesmen for the Kansas City, Kansas, Turner, Bonner Springs and Piper school districts said earlier this week that all the districts were going to continue wearing masks through the end of this school year. Piper may discuss the issue for summer school at a board meeting in June.
“It’s great news that children ages 12 and up can now receive a COVID-19 vaccine, but kids under age 12 aren’t eligible yet,” said Dr. Jennifer Watts, chief emergency management medical officer, with Children’s Mercy, Kansas City, Missouri, in a news release. “Until children are fully vaccinated, it’s important that they continue to wear a mask, along with taking other infection control measures, to prevent the spread of the virus.”
According to the CDC, masks help prevent people from getting and spreading COVID-19 by providing a barrier that keeps respiratory droplets from spreading.
“We all want to get back to normal, but we can’t let our guard down too soon,” said Juliann Van Liew, director of the Unified Government Health Department. “If your child is eligible, please consider getting them vaccinated or talk with a health care provider if you have questions. Until your child is fully vaccinated, please continue to help them take precautions like wearing a mask, distancing from others, frequently washing hands and staying home when sick.”
Free vaccinations available Saturday
Free walk-in COVID-19 vaccinations will be available for everyone 18 and older from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, May 22, at the Kansas National Guard Armory, 100 S. 20th, (near 18th and Ridge), Kansas City, Kansas. People also can schedule vaccinations at WycoVaccines.org.
The former Best Buy at 10500 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kansas, and the former Kmart at 7836 State Ave. will be closed on Saturday.
The 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.
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. Seven persons with the active virus were being treated on Friday, no change from Thursday, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control. Three of those patients were in the intensive care unit, an increase of one from Thursday. One of those patients was on a ventilator, a decrease of one from Thursday. The number of recovering patients was not available because of a software glitch.
Wyandotte County reported an increase of 14 COVID-19 cases on Friday, May 21, for a cumulative 18,687 cases, according to the Unified Government Health Department’s COVID-19 webpage. There was a cumulative total of 292 deaths reported, no change.
The UG Health Department reported on Wednesday that 31.44 percent of Wyandotte County residents, or 52,015, have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. About 26.08 percent, or 43,148, were fully vaccinated. Of Wyandotte County residents age 12 and up, 38.7 percent had at least one dose.
The Mid-America Regional Council’s COVID-19 dashboard reported 173,642 cumulative COVID-19 cases, an increase of 139. The daily average of new hospitalizations was 55.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported 312,997 cumulative COVID-19 cases in Kansas on Friday, May 21, an increase of 406 cases since Wednesday, May 19. There were a total cumulative 5,057 deaths reported statewide, an increase of four.
Johnson County had a cumulative 58,961 cases on Friday, an increase of 97 since Wednesday, according to the KDHE. Leavenworth County had a cumulative 7,243 cases on Wednesday, an increase of five since Wednesday. Sedgwick County had a cumulative 57,079 cases on Friday, an increase of 119 since Wednesday.
The Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 dashboard on Friday night reported 33,084,800 cumulative COVID-19 cases in the United States, with 589,222 total deaths reported nationwide. There were 30,141 new cases nationwide and 665 new deaths nationwide.
States with rising numbers of new cases were Florida, 2,893; California, 1,792; Pennsylvania, 1,709; Texas, 1,647; and New York, 1,644.
Countries with rising numbers of new cases were India, 259,551; Brazil, 82,039; Argentina, 35,884; U.S., 30,141; and Colombia, 16,086, according to Johns Hopkins information.
Free testing available Saturday
Free COVID-19 testing will be available from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, May 22, at the National Guard Armory, 100 S. 20th, (near 18th and Ridge), 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. Saturday, May 22, 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/992447368161884.
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.