Stormont Vail notices the number of COVID-19 cases in staff is higher than COVID patient numbers

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - Stormont Vail Health released an update on the number of COVID-19 patients and noticed the number of staff COVID-19 cases is much higher.

Dr. Cliff Jones, vice president of subspecialty medicine at Stormont Vail Health, says there have been seven active COVID cases this week, with an average of five to ten patients per week. Dr. Jones reported one case of RSV just recently.

On the other hand, Dr. Jones also explained at the beginning of Sept., Stormont had 20 staff members out with COVID-19. Now Stormont is down 10 to 12 staff members with COVID.

During the news conference, experts discussed the particular order in which residents should consider getting the three vaccines, COVID-19, flu, and RSV (which plans to roll out sometime this fall). Dr. Dana Hawkinson with the University of Kansas Health System said the RSV vaccine has taken 40+ years to develop and hopes it will be available to Kansans soon.

“The recommendation is that you can co-administer,” said Dr. Hawkinson. “If you can use different sites, it is okay, but I do not see any reason you could not do all three [shots]. The recommendation is that you can co-administer [the] other vaccines, and if we are talking specifically with the updated COVID and influenza vaccine, even since last year, they said you can put them together.”

The updated COVID-19 vaccine is now available at several Walgreens and CVS locations.

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