KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Doctors at the University of Kansas Health System said they are optimistic after seeing a slight decrease in the amount of COVID-19 patients being admitted to the hospital.
On Monday, hospital staff reported there are 33 patients being treated there for the virus. The number is down from an all-time high last week of 38.
Dr. Steven Stites, chief medical officer at the hospital, said it's possible the area has hit a plateau.
"We had nine ventilators today; we had 13 Friday," Stites said. "Even if we're on some part of the limb, that feels good for me."
Dr. Dana Hawkinson agreed that while it's still too soon to know, the downward trend in cases is a good sign.
"I'm hoping, if our hospital is any indicator, that we will maybe see a slowing of infections," Hawkinson said.
Laurel Gifford, spokesperson for Saint Luke's Hospital on the Plaza, said the hospital was treating 25 patients on Friday. The number has remained the same.
"I don’t know if we are ready to officially say that we are seeing a downward trend, but Friday was our highest count to date and it hasn’t increased, so that is very positive," Gifford said.
A COVID-19 prediction model being used by hospitals across the country, including those in the Kansas City area, indicates Kansas and Missouri are expected to see the peak of the virus on April 19. The model shows hospitals will be equipped with enough beds to treat the expected amount of patients who fall ill from the virus.
In other parts of the country, such as New York City, cases of COVID-19 are expected to peak on April 9. According to the model, NYC will be short by more than 12,000 hospital beds.
Maryland also is expected to have a shortage of more than 2,400 beds when it reaches its expected peak date of April 18.
Hawkinson and Stites said more data should be coming out within the next few days that will give a stronger indication as to whether or not Kansas has successfully bent the curve.
"I am cautiously optimistic about the curve in Kansas," Stites said. "We'll know more later. I have not lived through a pandemic and I have every intention of living through this one, and I hope that all my friends and family do, but it's gonna touch all of us."
Hawkinson said there's still a lot more work to be done.
"Even if it turns out that the data coming in within the next few days shows that we are on a plateau right now, we're not seeing increased cases, it still takes personal vigilance and responsibility," Hawkinson said. "All it takes is one gathering of five, six, 10 people or a celebration or some sort of thing like that where we have two, three, four people infected and that can spread exponentially."
However, if people continue to shelter at home, they may get back to life sooner than anticipated, Hawkinson said.
When it comes to bending the curve in both Kansas and Missouri, the same rules continue to apply.
"We have to choose to beat corona and we're gonna do that, we are gonna do that," Stites said. "We're gonna beat it by the actions of every person, every day, who decides to shelter, wash, not touch their face, keep their distance and do the things we believe will help us get to the other side."
