A panel made up of Wichita area physicians has a warning for local leaders. 

“What we're concerned about, of course, is opening the city before we're sure where we are, but more specifically opening the city before we can test. And that's really the main problem,” said Dr. Tom Moore, Medical Director of Infection Prevention at Wesley Medical Center.

Dr. Moore has treated his share of COVID-19 patients. In an email to Sedgwick County commissioners, the panel said hold off on reopening. 

“If you include the District of Columbia, Kansas ranks 51st in the United States for percentage of the population that has been tested,” said Dr. Moore. 

The doctors suggest the county extend the stay at home order and restrictions until May 11th to collect more tests and data. After that, they’re suggesting a whole list of precautions, including requiring masks in public and limiting group sizes. 

“They don't believe they've hit their peak yet. So he's saying it's not time to reopen the economy. We are taking that into consideration,” said County Commissioner Michael O’Donnell. “At the end of the day, we're going to reopen the county, it's going to be slower than some people would want and faster than other people would want.” 

With so many unknowns,  Dr. Moore said the bottom line is testing.

"The thing that concerns me most greatly is that if we take the brakes off the engine, we have everybody come out and reopen, and we open up all businesses, what happens if we actually do have a surge that we fear? It's gonna be hard to put the genie back in the bottle, it's gonna be a bigger pill for the commission to swallow to shut the city down again," said Dr. Moore. 

The next step is a county commission meeting on Wednesday where it will review recommendations and discuss the details of any additional restrictions that will be put in place when the governors order expires on May 3rd. 

Until then, it’s just wait and see. 

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A panel of local physicians is recommending COVID restrictions be extended for at least a week longer.   The physicians e-mailed a statement to Sedgwick County commissioners.

The panel said community efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19 have been successful,  but if restrictions are lifted too quickly we will likely have to backtrack.  The panel also said Sedgwick County does not currently meet the White House criteria for lifting community restrictions, specifically not demonstrating a robust testing program and a downward trend of positive cases over a 14-day period. 

Kansas' stay-at-home order is, for now, set to be lifted on May 3. 

The panel also recommends that all businesses require workers and customers to wear masks.  

Sedgwick County commissioners will hold a special meeting Tuesday to discuss the stay-at-home order.

The Medical Society of Sedgwick County assembled a diverse panel of physicians to address best practices surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak. On the topic of “reopening the community,” the panel believes:

  1. The surge of the COVID-19 outbreak reached Kansas and Sedgwick County later than other states and communities. This suggests that our peak will occur later and that, consequently, the reopening of our community should occur later than other communities. Though our cases are not increasing exponentially, it is unknown whether the peak has occurred in Sedgwick County. Based on this, it would be wise to maintain our current restrictions for at least seven days beyond the current expiration date. In addition to protecting our community, this would give us the chance to observe what happens in other communities that are beginning to reopen.
  2. Our community efforts have been successful at reducing the spread of disease, and as we lift those efforts, we will certainly see an increase in infections. If we lift too many efforts too quickly, we will likely have to backtrack (reinstate limitations), which is not desirable. Metrics must be monitored, such as PPE availability, hospital capacity, and number of COVID infections and deaths.
  3. Sedgwick County does not currently meet the criteria set forth by the White House for lifting community restrictions. Specifically, we have not demonstrated a robust program of testing and a downward trend of cases over a 14-day period.
  4. More testing will give experts a better understanding of our situation. Sedgwick County has a very low testing rate. Until more testing is performed, we are making recommendations with incomplete and possibly incorrect information.
  5. Universal masking should be our community standard at all times when not at home. Masks provide a physical barrier but also provide a visual reminder that we are actively mitigating this outbreak.
  6. Group size must still be limited for all purposes. Because some people who have the virus show no symptoms and are unaware they are contagious, the number of infections will increase the more people intermingle. Any amount of contact with people outside your home will increase your risk.
  7. Those who are at highest risk should continue to shelter in place; i.e., those on immunosuppressive medications, the elderly, those with uncontrolled diabetes, and those with chronic heart/lung/kidney disease. Simply put, as both age and the number of medical conditions increase, so does risk of permanent injury and death from the virus.
  8. Those with signs of illness should do whatever they can to prevent passing it on to others (stay home, wear a mask, limit interaction with others).
  9. Group living facilities (nursing homes) are very high risk and should have more stringent limitations than the general public. Visitation should be severely limited; all employees must use masks; and all who enter should have rigorous screening for symptoms, including fever.
  10. Community organizations, including religious institutions, bring people together, which increases the risk of spread. Virtual participation dramatically decreases this risk.
  11. All businesses should require both patrons and staff to wear masks.
  12. Restaurants present specific challenges and will need deliberate plans. Eating and drinking preclude the use of masks, and restaurants bring groups together that otherwise wouldn’t be together. Experts in the field must put together a detailed plan for these high-risk environments.

Finally, this is a rapidly changing situation, and our recommendations may need to change as we learn more.

Panel members are:

Tom Moore, MD, infectious disease

Chloe Steinshouer, MD, critical care

Howard Chang, MD, Emergency Department director, Ascension Via Christi

Jacob Ott, MD, Emergency Department director, Wesley Medical Center

John Gallagher, MD, Sedgwick County EMS director

Chady Sarraf, MD, hospitalist, Ascension Via Christi

Wes Kirk, MD, hospitalist, Wesley Medical Center

Bassem Chehab, MD, cardiology

Sheryl Beard, MD, primary care

Steve Davis, MD, primary care