Sedgwick County commissioners were told Wednesday that hospitals in Wichita and across the state are in a crisis situation because of increasing numbers of COVID-19 cases.
The county’s health officer, Dr. Garrold Minns, participated in a briefing with the KU Medical Center earlier in the day and he reported that while cases are rising, more hospital staff are out because of isolation and quarantine, and hospitals are at capacity. He said it’s a situation that the medical community was hoping to avoid with the pandemic.
Dr. Minns said cases of the flu are starting to hit the community, and “we have not seen the peak of influenza, and we don’t think we’ve seen the peak of COVID.” He said hospital officials across Kansas are very worried about what will happen in the near future.
Wichita hospitals are still in a critical situation this week, with 209 patients hospitalized. The number of patients in the ICU has dropped from 66 last week to 62 this week. The county’s positive testing rate has gone up to 15.4 percent.
Dr. Minns said very few people are wearing masks and following social distancing, and those practices need to return.
Deputy County Manager Tim Kaufman told commissioners that 58 percent of the eligible population in Sedgwick County has received one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while just over 53 percent have received two doses. He said 18.6 percent of the eligible population has received two shots and a booster. The county continues to operate its main vaccination clinic at the former downtown library at 223 South Main in Wichita.
Kaufman said demand for COVID-19 testing has increased, and the county is testing an average of 300 people a day. The county’s testing site is located at 4115 East Harry, and people can get in line by texting SC COVID TEST to the number 316-215-8313. He said the line fills up fast, so people need to get their place reserved early. There are other testing sites in Wichita and more information is available through Sedgwick County’s web page at www.sedgwickcounty.org
