KANSAS CITY, Mo. — During the COVID-19 pandemic, 41 Action News Today set up weekly interviews with Dr. Dana Hawkinson at the University of Kansas Health System.
Every Tuesday and Thursday we ask him the latest questions you have on the novel coronavirus. To help you keep track of what he's answered we've created this page. It will be updated twice a week.
Thursday, April 30
Q: Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas introduced a 10/10/10 rule on Thursday. What do you think about it, specifically the ten minute portion?
A: “The logic behind that goes to contact tracing, so if and when we do get more available testing, we are available to find someone who is ill, they can then help recall places they went. When there is contact tracing by the public health investigators, they can go to those areas and look at who else was there during that time and contact those people," Hawkinson said.
Q: One viewer asked us if it was still important to wear a mask if you are outside but not near others?
A: “If you are not going to be around other people, if you are just walking on a path and passing people, you probably do not need a mask. The mask is to help contain any infectious droplets you may have if you are sick and don’t know it yet. Especially if you are around other people in enclosed spaces," Hawkinson explained.
Q: One viewer asked us how far we are from antibody testing in the metro and if that will be an accurate representation of immunity?
A: “In house, here at the health system, our laboratory leaders are working to get the most accurate tests for antibody testing, but right now, since it is still so new, it still has to be validated. Eventually, yes, it will help to at least understand how far the disease has spread and the prevalence and penetration of that disease into society," Hawkinson said.
Q: Will COVID-19 offer an immunity?
A: “ We hope that if you produce antibodies, it will produce some sort of immunity, but we also know that some people who had the infection and recovered don’t have any antibodies at all.” Dr. Hawkinson said.
He noted that that is a very small subset of people.
“The biggest question is, will you have immunity? We hope so, even for three, six, nine months. We just don’t know the full extent of how these antibodies will help you," Hawkinson added.
Q: There are posts circulating online saying people who were diagnosed with a respiratory infection late last year might have already gotten COVID-19. How many Americans might have gotten COVID-19 before we knew how to identify the systems?
A: "We see those types of infections every year, where people have severe illness or cough that we never get the diagnosis and its negative for flu. There is that possibility, and as we get more and more information, we understand how soon COVID-19 got to the United States.” Dr. Dana Hawkinson explained.
Researchers originally thought it arrived in February or March, but now some health experts thing it was circulating back in November and December.
”We still think the seminal event, when the virus jumped species, was probably in November, but some people put it back as far as September and we still don’t know that for sure. You need to keep your eye on the new information," Hawkinson added.
Tuesday, April 28
Q: When businesses reopen, if someone wants to go out and get a haircut or go to a restaurant, what precautions should they be taking?
A: “Once things start to open we do assume that there’s going to be more people that can infected because more people are going to be out in public,” Dr. Hawkinson explained. “Once you are out…it’s once again going to boil down to personal responsibility.”
The University of Kansas Health System said these are the things you can do to prevent the spread and mitigate your risk of catching it:
- Do not go out if you are sick or have symptoms.
- Only go out if you need to for essentials.
- Practice good hand hygiene.
- When you are in public and can’t wash hands do not touch your face, even with a mask.
Q: In your medical opinion should people feel safe going out on May 4?
A: “I would still say no…This was said a few weeks ago, you kind of have to act like the virus is everywhere.” Dr. Hawkinson said.
He said the suggestion is not to raise panic or anxiousness, but to have you considering every move under an abundance of caution. He said that mindset should still continue after stay-at-home orders expire.
Q: Regionally speaking, and at your hospital, what is the latest on COVID-19 cases? Have we peaked or are our numbers still going up?
A: "At the health system here, our numbers have been pretty stable, which we're cautiously optimistic about, as far as the number of patients in the hospital and the number of patients needing the ICU. Around the region, I think Missouri has had fewer and fewer cases diagnosed every day. Kansas has seemed to have more and more cases, certainly last week, there were two days in a row that Kansas had the top one day totals for new diagnoses. I think overall as we get to be able to test more we are going to find more infections," Hawkinson said.
Q: The stay-at-home order in Kansas has been in effect since March 28. In Missouri, it started on April 6. Many of us have been practicing social distancing for even longer. Talk to us about quarantine fatigue.
A: “This is not how we live, this is not how we are used to living. It’s very difficult to do. We are social and pack animals. We want to be with friends and with loved ones. We want to be doing things. This is very hard physically and mentally, emotionally. We have to know that we are in a different world right now though, we are in a different time… I don’t know what post COVID-19 will be or when that will be. Right now, we are still in it and still have to continue to be vigilant," Hawkinson said.
Thursday, April 23
Q: There’s been a lot of mixed signals about when to reopen the United States. Do you think we are acting prematurely as a country?
A: “As a health professional I would probably say, yeah we are doing it too soon. There’s still a lot of virus out there that will infect a lot of people,” Hawkinson said. “But as an American and a Kansas Citian it’s hard to say because we really need to get things back on track, like the economy.”
Q: This week, a study of more than 360 patients at VA medical centers found the anti-malarial drug showed no benefit and was actually linked to higher death rates. What are your thoughts on this hydroxychloroquine trial?
A: Dr. Hawkinson said it is worth noting the study was retrospective.
“They went back to the charts and reviewed those things, but I think the data is very good.… It’s a smaller study but one of the better ones we have. It did show that we have some danger from giving this medicine, especially in combination with azithromycin. We need to continue to make sure that the medicines that we are giving our patients and your loved ones are safe because we certainly don’t want to do more harm than good," he said.
Q: Will the results of that study impact the research the University of Kansas Health System is doing with hydroxychloroquine?
A: According to Dr. Hawkinson, the HEROES study was not impacted by those results. He said the HEROES study is more of a prophylaxis study.
“That is a study to help prevent the disease. The study that the VA looked at is a study of treatment. It’s two very different aspects," he said.
The HEROES study will just be hydroxychloroquine, it won’t be in combination with azithromycin.
Q: The director of the CDC warned that a second wave of COVID-19 could be worse because it could coincide with the flu season. What are your thoughts?
“I don’t think what we are doing now will affect the second wave as we move,” Dr. Hawkinson said.
He also said its important to see what happens in the states opening up ahead of us.
“There could be another wave in the winter or fall and it could be worse, because of the other viruses that we know that because of the other viruses and their seasonal patterns," Hawkinson said.
Tuesday, April 21
Q: We’re seeing protesters across the county demanding the state’s reopen economies. Is it smart for people to be gathering in large groups like that?
A: “We do want people to work and thrive and be able to earn a living, but we need to determine the best time to do that,” Dr. Hawkinson explained.
He said the reason is two fold: Keep the cases low so our health care system and our supply chain are not overwhelmed.
Q: The World Health Organization recommends the national rate of positive tests be between 3 percent and 12 percent before reopening the economy. According to data from John Hopkins, right now roughly 10 percent of people tested in Kansas and Missouri are testing positive. What does that mean for our area?
A: Dr. Hawkinson said it’s important to remember we still do not know the full scope of positive cases.
“That’s the best numbers that we have from the people that have been tested, but we don’t know the full general public percentage of positive, and that’s really what we are looking for. What’s the true prevalence of the disease in the general population? We need to get the testing to the general public in the same way that we can test for influenza infection," he said.
Q: State and local leaders are working to figure out details when it’s safe to reopen businesses here. How should leaders approach a plan?
A: The University of Kansas Health System said it should be a tiered and staged reopening focused on protecting the most amount of people.
“We need to make sure that it (the number of cases) is as low as we can possibly get it so that when we do open up and we do have more people interacting with each other, we don’t reach an exponential spread.. and start to overwhelm our health care system," Hawkinson said.
Q: How vigilant do we need to be when it comes to personal responsibility? What do we need to be doing?
A: “We certainly value personal freedom here in America, we value personal responsibility as well, but sometimes that doesn’t always occur in a lot individuals,” Hawkinson said.
Here’s what you need to be doing if you aren’t already:
- Do not go out if you are sick.
- Wear a face mask in public.
- Use frequent and adequate hand hygiene.
- Do not put your hands around your face.
- Cough or sneeze in your elbow.
Q: Overnight, the president announced he was closing the border to the United States. In your medical opinion, do you think its necessary to close things off?
A: “In my humble opinion, I don’t think borders matter, we’ve already seen that this infection jumps oceans, it jumps countries, it jumps over mountain ranges,” Dr. Hawkinson explained. “I think it’s a fine thing to try, it would just be a matter of logistically, can that occur, so that’s the big issue there. We are trying to take all the measures that we can.”
Tuesday, April 14
Q: When and how should officials decide to end or extend a stay-at-home order?
A: Dr. Dana Hawkinson said they still need to answer many crucial questions. “How many cases, have we had a surge, do we still expect a surge? As far as lifting the order, I think we need to continue to get the data, the information, the numbers," he said.
Q: Dr. Anthony Fauci said a rolling reopen of the country could be possible in some parts of the country as soon as May. Is that realistic for our area?
A: In short, he answered yes, but it’s more complicated than that.
“We have hopefully been able to flatten the curve with our early stay at home orders” Hawkinson said. “Our situation (in Kansas City) seems a lot better than New York, Detroit, even St. Louis or Denver."
But it’s still a waiting game. Dr. Dana Hawkinson said its important to see what happens over the next week with the stay-at-home orders.
Q: Is it safe to drive around and sightsee right now?
A: “Certainly, if you are just in your car that should be fine.” Hawkinson said. “Are you stopping at a restaurant? Getting gas? You are then coming in contact with the outside environment. Places that other people have been.”
During these times, he recommends weighing the risk with the reward or benefit of the activity.
Q: Golf courses are still open with modifications, like covered holes and only allowing one person per golf cart. In your opinion, do you think it's safe?
A: “We’ve always encouraged people to go outside and be outside but do it responsibly," he said.
Dr. Dana Hawkinson said you should be asking yourself these types of questions:
- Can you do it in a healthy manner?
- Do you know the cart was wiped down and cleaned?
- Are you using your own clubs?
- Are you using proper hand hygiene?
- Are you socially distancing from other players on the course?
Q: The University of Kansas Medical Center will participate in a clinical trial of hydroxychloroquine. What can you tell us about that?
A: The trial is testing to see if hydroxychloroquine can prevent people who have been exposed from getting sick.
“Although they (health care workers) do have PPE (personal protective equipment), they still, we think, have a little bit of increased risk since they are around it so much more every day," Hawkinson explained.
The hope is that the drug decreases the risk of exposed workers developing an active COVID-19 infection. Right now, hospitals are reporting that 20 percent of U.S. health care workers are becoming infected, according to the University of Kansas Health System.
