COVID hospitalizations rise in Sedgwick County, almost all were un-vaccinated
Hospitalizations from COVID-19 are on the rise in Sedgwick County, and officials say almost none of the patients were vaccinated against the disease, even though they were eligible.
The Sedgwick County Health Department on Monday reported 70 total COVID-19 hospitalizations, according to Ascension Via Christi and Wesley Healthcare officials. The 70 hospital patients is an increase of 25% from a week ago and 133% from April 5.
The Wichita hospitals reported 29 of the COVID-19 patients are in intensive care. The ICU number is up 45% from last week and 263% from April 5.
“When we got data from the hospitals, almost exclusively — and we’re talking one or two only — but almost exclusively all of the hospital (patients) are un-vaccinated and are eligible for vaccines,” County Manager Tom Stolz said during a Tuesday staff meeting of the Sedgwick County Commission.
The health department reports the area hospital status assessment is “good” with a green checkmark. There are 19 available ICU beds out of the approximately 208 total ICU beds at the public hospitals in the county. That’s down from 37 available ICU beds two weeks ago.
If the current two-week trend continues, Wichita ICUs would be full within three weeks.
The rise in hospitalizations coincides with worsening trends in the positive test rate and the rate of new cases, as well the emergence of coronavirus variants in the area.
“It’s obviously a concern that our positivity rate and our hospitalization rate have both climbed a little bit in the last couple of weeks,” Commissioner Jim Howell said. “I think one of the takeaways of this — that I think is maybe the most important part of the message here — is that virtually all of those that are hospitalized have not had the vaccine.”
Howell said the county’s vaccine messaging should cite the average length and financial cost of being hospitalized.
“It would be a pretty good incentive to get a vaccine ... if you’re on the fence on getting the vaccine, please understand this: we have 70 people in the hospital today as a consequence of contracting this virus,” he said.
“That is a very compelling argument, and I think that we are missing an opportunity if we don’t make that very clear to people who are maybe a little bit resistant to getting the vaccine.”
Hesitancy and rejection of COVID-19 vaccines have severely cut into the number of first-dose shots administered by the health department.
“The biggest concern for us is that decline in first dose appointments,” said Tim Kaufman, the assistant county manager.
“In the first week of April, we delivered 7,000 or 8,000 first doses. In the last week of April we delivered about 1,100. So just a precipitous drop in the number of folks that are coming in for that first appointment, and as that continues to happen, the demand for a mass clinic is going to go down.”
The health department is planning to reduce hours of operation while continuing to operate the mass vaccination clinic at the old downtown library for at least another five weeks.
“But we know there will be a time when it doesn’t make sense for us to operate that clinic,” Kaufman said.
The county is expanding the use of mobile clinics, which make vaccinations more accessible to vulnerable populations.
Officials are also in the process of piloting an incentive program, starting with the Hilltop and Plainview areas due to their high social vulnerability index scores. One planned incentive is to give a box of food to people who get vaccinated.
The race to vaccinate more people comes amid an emergence of coronavirus variants. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported a 25% increase in confirmed variant cases in Sedgwick County over the weekend. The county now has 195 of the state’s 445 total confirmed variant cases.
“The best defense against the variants and the best defense against the disease is vaccine, so I would encourage anyone to make an appointment or just walk in,” Kaufman said. “We have got vaccines available.”
White House report
Unlike the Sedgwick County report, which has the hospital status as “good,” the White House COVID-19 Task Force’s report released Monday shows the local ICU capacity is in the red zone.
The White House’s dataset, which uses statistics as of Sunday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, had Sedgwick County hospital ICUs at 90% full.
That is 1 percentage point short of being a dark red indicator. Intensive care occupancy increased 3 percentage points in the last week.
The vast majority of hospitalized patients, both inside and outside the ICU, were not confirmed COVID-19 patients. The White House reports 3% of all inpatient beds and 7% of all adult, staffed ICU beds in Sedgwick County are occupied by patients confirmed to have the coronavirus disease. Both of those percentages are in the green zone.
There were 53 new hospital admissions for confirmed COVID-19 in the past seven days, plus 176 admissions for suspected COVID-19, according to the White House. The rate of admissions for confirmed cases is in the green zone, but the suspected case admission rate is in the orange zone.
The 33% increase in the confirmed COVID-19 admission rate and the 74% increase in the suspected COVID-19 admission rate from the previous week were both in the dark red zone.
The key rates on cases, deaths and test positivity also increased.
The rate of 69 new cases per 100,000 people over the last seven days is an orange zone indicator. It is up from a rate of 61 one week ago. The new death rate of 1 per 100,000 people is also in the orange zone, and it is up from a rate of 0.4 a week ago. The positive test rate of 5.8% is in the yellow zone and up from 5.4% a week ago.
The White House’s report showed Sedgwick County was a recent “rapid riser” with “substantial” community transmission and one step below “emerging hotspot.”
This story was originally published May 4, 2021 at 2:54 PM.