KU Health System reports steep increase in COVID hospitalizations during holiday season
Hospitalizations for COVID-19 are rising quickly at the University of Kansas Health System as cases continue to increase during the holiday season, hospital officials reported Thursday morning.
There were 71 people hospitalized for COVID-19 at the KU Health System Thursday, up from 64 on Wednesday.
Of the 71, 45 were active cases and 41 of the active cases were for unvaccinated patients. Others were out of the active infection stage but still required treatment.
On Thursday, Dr. Steve Stites, the chief medical officer for the University of Kansas Health System, said it’s important for people to get vaccinated and also to get their booster shots if they are eligible.
A little over 58% of Kansans had received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. A little over 50% had been fully vaccinated.
Average new cases per day in Kansas have increased 61% in the past two weeks, while hospitalizations have increased 26% and deaths have increased 155%, according to the New York Times.
Public health experts continue to stress the importance of getting vaccinated, especially as the Omicron variant has been identified in several states across the United States.
KDHE on Thursday announced it has found the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in one Kansas resident.
The first case of the Omicron variant in Missouri was identified Dec. 3.
This story was originally published December 16, 2021 at 2:12 PM with the headline "KU Health System reports steep increase in COVID hospitalizations during holiday season."
