by Tuesday March 7 marks three years since the first COVID case was reported on the subway. The anniversary coincides with many healthcare systems relaxing their mask requirements. On Monday afternoon, HCA Midwest Health System confirmed to KMBC that masks are now optional for most of its visitors, patients and staff. Saint Luke’s health system also confirmed it had relaxed its masking guidelines on Friday March 3. Our policy is consistent with the Centers of Disease Control’s guidance that the intensity of COVID protection strategies should be based on the level of COVID-19 activity in the local community. Based on the CDC Community Level Metric, all HCA Midwest Health facilities have updated their mask policies effective Monday, March 6, 2023, after which masks are now optional for most patients, visitors and colleagues at our facilities. The safety of our patients and colleagues remains our top priority. Colleagues who have not received the flu shot, colleagues caring for COVID-19 patients, patients with upper respiratory diseases, immunocompromised patients and colleagues and guests with symptoms of a viral disease must continue to wear a mask. If a patient asks our colleagues to wear a mask during treatment, we will honor their request. We will continue to monitor community levels and update our policies if they increase. Saint Luke’s issued a statement to KMBC Monday, stating, Due to low hospitalizations from COVID-19, Saint Luke’s Health System has lifted its masking requirement for asymptomatic patients and visitors, with certain exceptions. A mask is still required for symptomatic patients and visitors in emergency rooms, hospitals, outpatient clinics, doctor’s offices and certain other high-risk units. We will continue to provide masks in our facilities for those who need or wish to wear one. Saint Luke’s will continue to monitor conditions and revise masking guidelines as needed in the future. Dana Hawkinson from the University of Kansas Health System explained the easing of the mask requirement. “This is going to happen: if this goes well and the numbers don’t go up and the patients are safe, it’s going to be great. If the numbers go up and patients aren’t safe, we’ll have to put the masks back on.” Hawkinson has been one of the faces of the COVID response on the subway for the duration of the pandemic. dr Steven Stites, chief medical officer of the University of Kansas Health System, is another. Both spoke to KMBC – appropriately via Zoom as they’ve reached so many on the tube – on Monday, the eve of the three year anniversary of COVID on the tube. dr Echoing how much the pandemic has taught the world and the scientific community, Hawkinson said: “We have learned what we can do as a community and as a country if you have the resources to do it. We learned how to expand our knowledge exponentially in a short period of time.” “I think we learned a lot. I’d be scared if we hadn’t learned anything in the last three years,” Elizabeth Holzschuh, director of epidemiology for Johnson County, told KMBC. dr Stites put it more colorfully: “We’re still building the plane as we fly it. If you turn the clock back three years ago, he knew we knew nothing.” He went on to list. “At the same time, we learned so much about isolation,” he said, “what it means for young children, about the power of masking, about the complications of masking, all about social isolation.” Holzschuh, the director of epidemiology, said: “I don’t know if we’ve ever taken that opportunity to explain ‘why,'” she said. “I think moving forward, it’s incredibly important for community members or local residents to explain the ‘why’ behind things, as well as changing recommendations as we change things outside of the norm of acceptable.”Metro health workers now number in the hundreds of thousands seen by COVID cases. Holzschuh, the director of epidemiology, put it into perspective. “The majority of the population worldwide has been infected with a virus at least once,” she said. Some of these COVID cases ended fatally. The last COVID death recorded by the University of Kansas health system was on February 23. Nevertheless, masking in the region’s hospitals falls by the wayside. “I’m not definitely going to say we’re endemic just yet,” Holzschuh said. “I think society as a whole has decided that we’re endemic at this point.” Zoom use may be waning. like dr Stites said, “There’s an energy that comes from coming together that Zoom can’t replace, and I don’t know how to say that scientifically, other than that it’s a good energy.” In terms of masking — at least two local health systems say this will maintain their masking guidelines: University Health and Children’s Mercy.
Tuesday March 7 marks three years since the first COVID case was reported on the subway. The anniversary coincides with many healthcare systems relaxing their mask requirements.
On Monday afternoon, HCA Midwest Health System confirmed to KMBC that masks are now optional for most of its visitors, patients and staff. Saint Luke’s health system also confirmed it had relaxed its masking guidelines on Friday, March 3.
HCA Midwest Health issued a statement stating:
HCA Midwest Health has updated its universal masking policy based on the low COVID-19 community levels. Our policy is consistent with the Centers of Disease Control’s guidance that the intensity of COVID protection strategies should be based on the level of COVID-19 activity in the local community. Based on the CDC Community Level Metric, all HCA Midwest Health facilities have updated their mask policies effective Monday, March 6, 2023, after which masks are now optional for most patients, visitors and colleagues at our facilities.
The safety of our patients and colleagues remains our top priority. Colleagues who have not received the flu shot, colleagues caring for COVID-19 patients, patients with upper respiratory diseases, immunocompromised patients and colleagues and guests with symptoms of a viral disease must continue to wear a mask. If a patient asks our colleagues to wear a mask during treatment, we will honor their request. We will continue to monitor community levels and update our policies if they increase.
Saint Luke’s issued a statement to KMBC on Monday, saying:
Due to low hospital admissions from COVID-19, the Saint Luke health system has lifted its mask requirement for asymptomatic patients and visitors with certain exceptions. A mask is still required for symptomatic patients and visitors in emergency rooms, hospitals, outpatient clinics, doctor’s offices and certain other high-risk units. We will continue to provide masks in our facilities for those who need or wish to wear one.
Saint Luke’s will continue to monitor conditions and revise masking guidelines as needed in the future.
The University of Kansas Health System said it is currently reviewing its masking policy and announced any revisions on Wednesday.
dr Dana Hawkinson from the University of Kansas Health System explained the easing of the mask requirement.
“This is going to happen: if this goes well and the numbers don’t go up and the patients are safe, it’s going to be great. If the numbers go up and patients aren’t safe, we’ll have to put masks back on.”
dr Hawkinson has been one of the faces of the COVID response on the subway for the duration of the pandemic.
dr Steven Stites, chief medical officer of the University of Kansas Health System, is another. Both spoke to KMBC – appropriately via Zoom as they’ve reached so many on the tube – on Monday, the eve of the three year anniversary of COVID on the tube.
dr Echoing how much the pandemic has taught the world and the scientific community, Hawkinson said: “We have learned what we can do as a community and as a country if you have the resources to do it. We have learned how to expand our knowledge exponentially in a short period of time.”
“I think we learned a lot. I’d be scared if we hadn’t learned anything in the last three years,” Elizabeth Holzschuh, director of epidemiology for Johnson County, told KMBC.
dr Stites put it more colorfully: “We’re still building the plane as we fly it. If you turn the clock back three years ago, he knew we didn’t know anything.”
He went on with a list. “At the same time, we’ve learned so much about isolation,” he said, “what it means for young children, about the power of masking, about the complications of masking, around social isolation.”
Holzschuh, the director of epidemiology, said: “I don’t know if we’ve ever taken this opportunity to explain ‘why,'” she said. “I think it’s incredibly important for community members or residents to explain the ‘why’ behind things in order to move forward, as well as changing recommendations as we change things outside of the norm of what is acceptable.”
Metro healthcare workers have now seen hundreds of thousands of COVID cases. Holzschuh, the director of epidemiology, put it into perspective. “The majority of the world’s population has contracted a virus at least once,” she said.
Some of these COVID cases have become fatal. The last COVID death recorded by the University of Kansas health system was on February 23.
Nevertheless, masking in the region’s hospitals falls by the wayside. “I’m not definitely going to say we’re endemic just yet,” Holzschuh said. “I think society as a whole has decided that we are endemic at this point.”
Zoom usage may decrease. like dr Stites said, “There’s an energy that comes from coming together that Zoom can’t replace, and I don’t know how to say that scientifically other than that it’s a good energy.”
Regarding masking – at least two local health systems say they will maintain their masking guidelines: University Health and Children’s Mercy.
