Doctors at the University of Kansas Health System on Monday morning said they thought the tragic death of a 34-year-old football coach from Olathe East from COVID-19 could have been prevented with a vaccine.
“That’s the heartbreaker, and unfortunately, we’ve seen that a lot in people who have been unvaccinated,” Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer at KU Health System, said.
It has been repeated a lot among the unvaccinated, he said. About seven persons out of 40 active COVID-19 patients in KU Health System on Monday morning were vaccinated, he said. Deaths at the hospital were about 98 percent unvaccinated.
The seven vaccinated persons with severe illnesses on Monday were among those who were immunocompromised, according to Dr. Stites.
“At the end of the day, we have a decision to make,” he said. People can’t just think about getting the shot, they have to get the immunization. All three COVID-19 vaccines available are really good at preventing severe disease and death, he said.
“Don’t hesitate – you don’t want to put your family and loved ones in this position,” Dr. Stites said.
“This is an absolute tragedy,” Dr. Dana Hawkinson said, especially to someone who was making such a difference in the lives of young people.
If there is any glimmer of hope to be gained from this tragedy, maybe it’s that the young people will talk to their families and get the vaccine, he said.
Dr. Roy Jensen, KU vice chancellor and director of the KU Cancer Center, said he would like to understand what the influences were on the coach that led him not to get a vaccine.
“The vaccines work, they’re effective, they’re an extraordinarily effective measure to prevent death and serious hospitalization, and really almost everyone without exception should be getting this vaccination,” Dr. Jensen said.
Additional vaccine shots for some patients will make a difference, and the timing of them is important, he said. They’re still learning a lot about the time involved for immune response, but at this time they think at about six to eight months is the best time for an additional shot.
Dr. Jensen said people have been delaying their cancer screenings during the pandemic. Screening has gotten back to where it was, but they haven’t seen any additional screening, he said.
He said most of the people who chose not to get screened have chosen not to get back into the system. Some are being diagnosed at a much later date, he said, with the disease worse.
“If you missed a cancer screening because of COVID, please get that scheduled, it could save your life,” Dr. Jensen said.
He also discussed the progress of cancer treatment in the last 50 years, as the survival rate from cancer has gone from 49 percent in 1971 to almost 70 percent currently. In addition, the new Proton Therapy Center at KU Cancer Center was discussed.
Doctors at the health system noted that the total number of COVID patients there on Monday morning was 82, compared to a peak of 107 recently. Staffing is still tight at the hospital, they said.
For more information from the Monday update, visit https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/883481592276333.
Vaccines, tests available
The former Kmart building at 7836 State Ave., a Unified Government Health Department vaccination site, will be open for testing from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and for free COVID-19 vaccinations from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday. There are incentives being offered for Wyandotte County residents, while supplies last. See WycoVaccines.org
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COVID-19 testing from WellHealth will be available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 14, at the Kansas National Guard Armory, 100 S. 20th. The site is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, and on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. To make an appointment, visit https://www.gogettested.com/kansas.
Mobile vaccines can be requested online at WycoVaccines.org or by calling 3-1-1 (913-573-5311). For more information on the Unified Government Health Department’s vaccine schedule, see WycoVaccines.org.
COVID-19 vaccines and tests are available at other locations in Wyandotte County, including some pharmacies. For locations and availability, visit www.vaccines.gov.
Free vaccinations at KU Health System are open to the public, and appointments are required. 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.
Case numbers reported
The University of Kansas Health System reported 82 total COVID-19 patients on Monday, Sept. 13, a decrease of 10 since Friday, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control. Forty patients with the active virus were inpatients on Monday, a decrease of six since Friday. Seven of the 40 were vaccinated, and the seven had significant comorbidities or were immunocompromised Thirteen patients were in the intensive care unit, a decrease of five since Friday. Eight patients were on ventilators, a decrease of one since Friday. Forty-two other patients were still hospitalized from COVID, but were out of the acute infection phase, a decrease of four since Friday. According to the doctors, KU Health System couldn’t take any more transfer patients over the weekend but was full. The numbers might have been higher otherwise. The numbers also are down around the Greater Kansas City area.
Wyandotte County reported a cumulative 23,250 cases on Monday, Sept. 13, an increase of 106 cases since Friday, Sept. 10, according to the Unified Government Health Department’s COVID-19 webpage. There were a cumulative total of 342 deaths on Monday, an increase of one from Friday.
On Wednesday, Sept. 8, the Unified Government Health Department reported that 47.37 percent of Wyandotte County residents had received at least one dose of vaccine. Those completing their vaccinations totaled about 40.52 percent.
The percentage of Wyandotte County residents who were age 12 and older who had received at least one dose was 58.3 percent.
The Mid-America Regional Council reported 207,223 cases on Monday in Greater Kansas City, a nine-county area. There were a total of 2,803 deaths. The daily average of new hospitalizations was 126.
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The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported 390,031 cumulative COVID-19 cases in Kansas on Monday, Sept. 13, an increase of 2,879 since Friday, Sept. 10. There was a total of 5,773 cumulative deaths reported statewide, an increase of seven since Sept. 10.
The KDHE reported 72,152 cumulative COVID-19 cases in Johnson County on Sept. 13, an increase of 413 since Sept. 10. Leavenworth County had 9,572 cases on Sept. 13, an increase of seven since Sept. 10. Sedgwick County (the Wichita area) reported 71,570 cases on Sept. 13, an increase of 738 since Sept. 10.
On Monday, the KHDE reported 11,022 cumulative cases in Douglas County (the Lawrence area), an increase of 69 since Sept. 10. Riley County (the Manhattan area) had 7,334 cumulative cases, an increase of 30 since Sept. 10. Shawnee County (the Topeka area) had 23,380 cumulative cases, an increase of 162 cases since Sept. 10.
On Monday night, there were a cumulative 41,221,266 COVID-19 cases in the United States, with a cumulative 662,106 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.
Links
Visit gogettested.com/Kansas and https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19 for more testing sites.
Wyandotte County residents may contact the Health Department at wycohelp.org to sign up for a test to be delivered to their home.
For more details about free COVID-19 testing offered by the UG Health Department, visit https://www.facebook.com/UGHealthDept or call 3-1-1.
To view details about the extension of the mask order in KCK until Nov. 18, visit https://www.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/ug_extendsmaskmandate_nr_09102021.pdf.
To view the resolution extending the mask order, visit https://www.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/r-62-21.pdf.