COVID-19 Highlights for the Week of 01/17/22

COVID-19 highlights for the week of 01/17/22:

Cases and hospital admissions for patients with COVID-19 continue to rise well beyond all-time high levels; hospitals face longer patient stays, increased staff absences and unfilled positions.

What’s Happening?

Children’s Mercy Hospital announced that it will be halting routine COVID-19 testing after it didn’t receive its shipment of testing kits.

Hospitals / Healthcare Systems:

• High overall hospital volume, compounded by staff shortages, is making it more difficult for all patients (with and without COVID) to get care.

• Hospital admissions continue to rise with an average of 255 new COVID hospitalizations per day in the Metro; compared to 153 one month ago.

Case Rates:

• Daily average new cases continued to increase sharply:
  • from 2,074 to 3,012 in the most recent 7-day period in the HCC Metro; compared to 894 one month ago. This is more than double any previous point in the pandemic.
  • from 133 to 192 in the most recent 7-day period in the HCC N-S; compared to 130 one month ago.

Testing:

• Positivity rates have increased sharply.
  • Currently between 28% and 38% of tests reported show a positive result as recorded by local public health. 
  • At-home tests are often not included in these numbers.
• While an increased number of people getting tested helps us to understand community prevalence, the rapidly growing demand is putting a severe strain on testing available in hospitals, public health departments, and other sites (including retail stores selling at-home test kits). 

What Can I Expect?

Diminishing Standards of Care:

• Longer wait times for emergency services and a decreased availability of local hospital beds.
• Reduction of non-life-threatening medical procedures in hospitals due to shortages of space, staff, and supplies. 

Increased prevalence of COVID:

• Given the current trajectory, we can anticipate continued increases in cases and hospitalizations throughout the region.
• Mitigation measures (masking, distancing, and vaccinations / boosters) remain our best option to change this trajectory.
• Unvaccinated individuals or those without a booster have a greater risk of contracting COVID.

What Can I Do?

Limit large scale gatherings to the extent feasible.

Consider postponement, cancellation or virtual alternatives for events and meetings that are not conducive for maintaining social distancing.

Wear a well-fitting mask and wear it correctly – this has an immediate effect on lowering risk of transmission.

• Everyone should wear a mask in public indoor settings. Community levels of transmission are over 13 times higher than the CDC threshold recommending this action in a majority of KC Metro counties (CDC). 
• Things to remember that can keep you safer:
• Wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth, can be secured under your chin, and fits snugly against the sides of your face.
• Select a mask that has a nose wire toprevent air from leaking out of the top of the mask.
• Visit the CDC’s page “Your Guide to Masks; How to select, properly wear, clean, and store masks” for a “how-to” of all things to do with masking – especially as a tool to fight Omicron.

Get vaccinated or get your vaccine booster – this protects into the future.

• Check with your primary care physician or pediatrician’s office on where to find a vaccine or booster near you. 
• You may also visit vaccines.gov; text your ZIP code to 438829 (GETVAX); or call 1-800-232-0233; or visit Prepare Metro KC (preparemetrokc.org).
• Boosters have shown to be especially important in combating the Omicron variant. 
• CDC recommends that everyone ages 12 years and older get a booster shot after completing their primary COVID-19 vaccination series.  
• You are eligible for a booster at 5 months after completing Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna primary series, or 2 months after the initial J&J/Janssen vaccine. 
• Individuals ages 12-17 are only eligible for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

Reduce the Burden on our Healthcare System

• Minimize community spread: Re-evaluate your activities to reduce the risk of infection.
  • Get tested after potential exposures.
  • Visit PrepareMetroKC to see testing locations near you. If you cannot get tested and have been exposed, take additional precautions until you are able to test.
  • Continue to follow your local public health guidance regarding isolation and quarantine.
  • Use your Primary Care Physician or an Urgent Care Facility as an alternative to Emergency Rooms whenever appropriate.