Live from 2 p.m.: How dangerous is Omikron?

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The media conference of the federal experts begins at 2 p.m. (Stream: Youtube / The Swiss Federal Council)

Switzerland

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Because of the high infection rate of Omikron, many people are at risk of getting sick. But how dangerous is the variant? Technical experts provided information in Bern.

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Mathys: Be careful with the test – “positive” always applies, “negative” does not

Caution is advised with a negative Corona test result, because this is not one hundred percent reliable. “Positive”, on the other hand, always certifies an infection with the coronavirus.

Patrick Mathys, head of the crisis management and international cooperation section at the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), recalled this on Tuesday in front of the media. This is nothing new, but many people would still feel like a false sense of security after a negative corona test. Two thirds of new infections are currently caused by the highly contagious Omikron variant.

With a proportion of Covid-19 patients in intensive care units of around 40 percent Mathys said that optimal treatment for all patients was no longer guaranteed. After all, the number of deaths related to Covid 19 disease is now falling continuously. This is also because the omicron variant leads to less severe disease courses.

BAG skeptical about major events

In the opinion of the Federal Office of Public Health (BAG), major events are fundamentally problematic in the current situation. “Every such occasion poses a risk,” said Patrick Mathys, Head of the Crisis Management and International Cooperation Section at the BAG.

When asked about the upcoming Ski World Cup races in Adelboden and Wengen in the Bernese Oberland and the recent cancellations in the ice hockey championship, Mathys emphasized that he hoped that such events could continue to take place.

Whether this is possible , has to show itself, so Mathys. You are still learning about this. Major events, however, threatened to become super-spreader events. This has been seen several times since the beginning of the pandemic.

Mathys spoke of weighing up what should and should take place in a society.

Taskforce: Children will be severely affected by Omikron

Children will be severely affected by Omikron as the least or not vaccinated group. This was said by Alain Di Gallo from the scientific Covid Taskforce on Tuesday in front of the media in Bern. The most important goal is to keep the schools open.

Children should also have the chance to receive two doses before they are infected, Di Gallo said. The virus circulation in schools should be limited by consistent ventilation. CO2 monitors are an inexpensive means of doing this.

More on this here.

BAG anticipates an increase in Hospital admissions

According to the Federal Office of Public Health (BAG), the relative stability of the number of hospital admissions due to a coronavirus infection is probably only a temporary phenomenon . More hospitalizations are expected in the coming weeks.

Patrick Mathys, Head of the Crisis Management and International Cooperation Section at the BAG, told the media in Bern on Tuesday. Corresponding references from abroad could not be talked away. What you see there is “not very promising”.

Mathys did not answer a journalist’s question as to whether the current measures were sufficient against this background. One could not rule out tightening, he said.

At the same time, Mathys pointed out that Switzerland would already be a good bit further if it would keep long-known rules such as distance, Wear mask or reduce contacts consistently adhered to by all.

Hospitals are increasingly suffering from staff shortages

According to the President of the Association of Cantonal Doctors (VKS), the sharp increase in new infections with the coronavirus has not yet been reflected in hospitalizations. Nevertheless, the Omikron variant leads to an additional burden on the health system.

The reason is staff shortages in the hospitals when employees have to be in isolation or in quarantine, said VKS President Rudolf Hauri on Tuesday in front of the Bundeshausmedien in Bern.

“The number of cases is very high,” emphasized the Zug canton doctor. And you have to expect that this time the festive season will lead to a further increase – unlike in the previous year.

You can see that because of Omikron, vaccinated people are increasingly infected would or would have to go to hospital, continues Hauri. In contrast, this effect is not yet seen in intensive care patients.

BAG: More Omicron infections – no more intensive care patients

Rapidly more new infections with the spreading omicron variant of the coronavirus, but not necessarily more patients in the intensive care units of hospitals. This is what Patrick Mathys, Head of the Crisis Management and International Cooperation Section at the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) expects expected in the next few days, said Mathys on Tuesday in front of the media in Bern. He apologized for the BAG’s mishap of numbers on Monday afternoon, which had to do with the holidays.

Switzerland, along with France, Denmark, Spain and Great Britain, belonged to Switzerland to those countries in Europe with the highest number of corona cases. The 20 to 29-year-olds were the group most affected by infections.

Mathys expects a sharp increase in hospital admissions in connection with Covid in the coming weeks -19, but not necessarily with more occupancy in the intensive care units. The reason: According to previous observations, the Omikron variant leads to less severe disease processes.

The high number of positive corona test results – those that confirm infection – can be in the opinion of Mathys conclude that many infections remain undetected.

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