COVID hospitalizations have decreased across Kansas. What about in Sedgwick County?
Recent data indicates hospitalizations for COVID-19 have decreased in Kansas for the first time in months, a positive trend that also holds true for the greater Wichita area.
According to Sedgwick County Health Department Director Adrienne Byrne, for the week ending in Jan. 13, 1.6% of emergency department visits in the county were due to COVID-19, down 2.2% from early January.
Ninety COVID-positive patients visited Ascension Via Christi’s three hospitals this month, compared to 52 who visited for the same reason last January. However, not all of these patients were hospitalized for COVID-19, an Ascension spokesperson said.
In an email to The Wichita Eagle, a spokesperson for Wesley Medical Center said the hospital does not release actual patient numbers externally. When asked about overall trends, the official said COVID cases at the hospital have remained stable with no increase.
Across Kansas, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 184 COVID-19 hospital admissions the week ending Jan. 20. This number was down by 56 compared to the week before.
While some COVID-19 data continues to be reported, these numbers are just a portion of total cases. When the COVID national public health emergency ended last May, so did most of the local reporting requirements, including incidence rates and community levels.
There was an expected increase in COVID-19 cases due to the holidays, Byrne said, but Sedgwick County is now seeing that trend fall.
“It somewhat followed the previous holiday seasons, and now again we’re on that downhill ... we’re moving in the right direction since we are past Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Year’s Eve,” Byrne said.
National data through Jan. 20 indicates 2.1% of weekly emergency department visits in the U.S. are due to COVID-19, down 16.3% from the previous period. In the past week, 26,607 patients were admitted to hospitals with confirmed cases of COVID-19.
As of January, the CDC reports the most prominent strain of COVID is the new JN.1 variant.
“[The] CDC is studying the impacts of COVID-19 and flu illness this season, encouraging vaccination and prompt antiviral treatment for COVID-19 and flu, and studying vaccine effectiveness,” the CDC’s website reads. “[The] CDC is still learning more about the JN.1 variant and tracking its spread.”
NPR reports the Word Health Organization first detected JN.1 in August, and it is a strain of the omicron variant. Omicron was detected as a strain in November 2021.
The CDC reports the current COVID-19 vaccine is effective in fighting this new variant.
Getting vaccinated for COVID-19
Byrne said the best way to combat COVID-19 is to stay updated on your coronavirus vaccine. The latest booster vaccine was approved in September and made to target new variants of COVID-19, which included the BA.2.86 strain.
“Yes, we can still get COVID [with the vaccine], but with being up-to-date with vaccines it really reduces chances for severe cases,” Byrne said.
You can receive your COVID vaccine from your health care provider or by setting up an appointment at an area retail pharmacy. The county offers vaccinations for those covered by CHIP (the Children’s Health Insurance Program) or Medicaid/KanCare at its clinic at 2716 W. Central. You can make an appointment by calling 316-660-7300.
This story was originally published January 30, 2024 at 12:04 PM.
