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Coping with COVID: Area health officials report monthly low in acute infections over Christmas

By Madison Parry

Health officials with The University of Kansas Health System report improvement in the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients over the holiday weekend. On Monday, doctors reported the lowest number of acute infections and new hospitalizations seen this month.

A Monday media briefing with health officials from The University of Kansas Health System revealed an improvement in the number of COVID-19 patients admitted in its facilities.

Most notably, the number of patients with acute infections at KU Health is the lowest the health system has seen in December. As of Monday, the number of acute cases was 56.

“Looking at the numbers around the nation and the number in our region, I think we have some room to be optimistic because the numbers are dropping,” Dr. Dana Hawkinson with University of Kansas Health System said during the briefing. “There may be some delay in reporting or decreased testing, but overall, it’s much better.”

The health system reported 24 patients in the ICU with 18 on ventilators and 61 recovering. These numbers showed improvement compared to the last update prior to Christmas Eve which showed 73 active virus patients, 28 in the ICU, 20 on ventilators and 66 recovering.