‘The virus is still out there’: Kansas doctors warn of COVID spread as mask orders end

Kansas doctors are warning against lifting mask mandates, citing concerns that the state could soon experience another surge in the coronavirus pandemic.

Hospital officials speaking during a Wednesday media briefing hosted by the University of Kansas Health System said COVID hospitalizations are already starting to increase after several weeks of decreasing patient numbers.

“What you get nervous about is that trend (of increasing COVID hospitalizations) is starting to take off through the country and we saw people starting to gather more, Spring Break was going on,” said Dr. Steve Stites, the chief medical officer at KU. “Granted, it’s only a trend, but it’s not the right trend.”

The Sedgwick County Health Department did not release updated Wichita hospital statistics this week.

While KU hospitals have experienced a recent increase in hospitalizations, the state has seen a bump in new COVID-19 cases.

In the past week, Kansas averaged 289 new cases per day. That’s up from 239 per day for the previous seven-day period, according to Kansas Department of Health and Environment data.

“You’re seeing a rise in COVID again,” Stites said. “It looks like there may be another surge, and it’s caused by the same things it is always caused by: when folks don’t follow the rules, the virus spreads.”

The KDHE on Wednesday reported pandemic totals of 300,927 probable and confirmed COVID-19 cases, 9,647 hospitalizations, 2,629 ICU admissions and 4,881 deaths. The increases since Monday were 802 new cases, 28 new hospitalizations, six new ICU admissions and 31 new deaths.

Sedgwick County, according to the KDHE, has had totals of 54,573 COVID-19 cases, 1,540 hospitalizations, 459 ICU admissions and 727 deaths. The two-day increases were 82 new cases, five new hospitalizations, three new ICU admissions and six new deaths.

Stites said that from a medical standpoint, he does not support the lifting of mask mandates in Kansas due to the anticipated passage of Senate Bill 40. The bill is a rewrite of the Kansas Emergency Management Act designed to strip Gov. Laura Kelly and local county officials of their emergency powers.

Sedgwick County on Wednesday scrapped its health order requiring masks because of the bill. Reno and Harvey counties ended their mask mandates on Tuesday for the same reason, though Reno County commissioners also cited improved COVID-19 statistics.

“I look at our COVID dashboard, all of the primary factors that we use in designating our COVID status are in the green,” said Reno County commissioner Daniel Friesen, suggesting that a mask mandate is no longer necessary. “I think we also have a risk of crying wolf, asking the public to comply with certain things when an issue isn’t emergent.”

Stites had a different assessment.

“The virus is still out there, there is still widespread community transmission, masks absolutely work,” he said.

The latest county-level data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention classifies Sedgwick County as having a “moderate” level of community transmission. Reno, Cowley, Sumner and Kingman counties are also at the “moderate” level while Butler and Harvey counties have “substantial” community spread.

“All the mask doubters out there, I’m sorry, you’re just wrong,” Stites said. “... Masks prevent disease transmission, and anybody that tells you anything else just doesn’t want to believe reality. ... I don’t know why anybody would want to stop mask mandates right now.”

“Masks are helping keep people alive,” he said.

Dr. Dana Hawkinson, the medical director of infection prevention and control at KU, warned against holding high school proms.

“It is dangerous,” Hawkinson said. “There is a lot of risk involved.”

“And the risk may not be to the kids,” Stites said. “It may be to the parents, the chaperons, the grandparents and everybody else around them.”

The doctors also warned churches against loosening their own restrictions ahead of the Easter holiday. Singing, especially without masks and in close proximity to each other, raises risks for religious gatherings.

“Ask yourself this question — and remember the viral levels in the community are much higher now than they were this time last year — if you knew that the actions are going to cause injury and illness to another person you care about, would you still make the same choice?” Stites said. “That’s the wrestle you have to do, the desire to get out and be around folks versus having to wait just a few more weeks before we can go out and do that.”

Coronavirus clusters

The KDHE’s weekly coronavirus cluster report on Wednesday had 48 active outbreaks, but publicly identified only one: Pathways Family Services group living in Topeka, which has had 20 cases in the past two weeks. There were 62 active outbreaks as of last Wednesday, with the drop primarily due to clusters being closed at nursing homes and schools.

There were 16 newly-reported deaths from clusters, with 15 at long-term care facilities and one at a private event.

COVID vaccinations

As of Wednesday, the KDHE has reported 1,067,865 total COVID vaccine doses administered out of 1,454,080 doses delivered to Kansas.

The 706,293 first doses administered was an increase of 30,278 doses from Monday and represents 24.2% of the state population. The 361,511 second doses administered was an increase of 19,443 doses and was about 12.4% of the population.

The Sedgwick County Health Department has administered 108,816 total vaccine doses and fully vaccinated 32,046 people as of Wednesday. Those numbers do not include other providers in the county.

The health department gave out 7,448 first shots on Monday and Tuesday, with 2,386 more people fully vaccinated. The two-day increase in first doses administered was more than triple the number of doses administered on the first two days of the month.

Governor launches vaccination campaign

On Monday, the Kansas passed 1 million total vaccine doses administered.

“We administered over one million doses and we’ll keep getting vaccines into arms so our kids can get back in the classrooms, Kansans can get back to work, and life can get back to normal,” Gov. Laura Kelly said in a statement. “With the increased vaccine supply coming to Kansas, we are working to make sure every Kansan gets vaccinated. This vaccine campaign is designed to show every Kansas what the science has proven - that vaccines are safe and will protect all of us from COVID-19.”

The governor’s office said the “Roll Up Your Sleeves” campaign will feature online, radio and TV advertisements.

Winfield prison worker dies of COVID

The Kansas Department of Corrections announced on Monday that a staff member of the Winfield Correctional Facility died on March 18 due to COVID-19 complications.

David Warner, 54, was the sixth KDOC staff member to die from the coronavirus. Warner had started at the Hutchinson Correctional Facility in 2010 before moving to the Winfield prison in 2015.

“David truly made a difference in the lives he touched through his work,” KDOC Secretary Jeff Zmuda said in a statement. “He spread love and joy to everyone he met, and he was a beloved member of our KDOC family. Please join me in keeping his family and his colleagues at both Winfield and Hutchinson in our thoughts and prayers.”