He is a sober person, says the chief canton doctor, Rudolf Hauri: The Omikron variant demands respect, but the situation can be mastered. That’s why he doesn’t wear rose-colored glasses.
SRF News: Rudolf Hauri, on Saturday you told SRF that the Federal Council’s measures would be enough.
Rudolf Hauri: I will stick to my opinion and of course I really hope that it will be enough.
Even if the Omikron wave hits us soon?
The omicron wave demands respect from us. But I assume – or I hope so – that we can get the situation under control.
The load on the hospitals and, above all, on the intensive care units is the yardstick, not the pure number of cases.
You also said that it wasn’t a big problem if not many had to go to the hospital.
The load on the hospitals and, above all, on the intensive care units is the yardstick, not the pure number of cases. If we have a lot of cases, but people don’t become seriously ill and don’t have to go to the hospital because of it, then that’s not a big problem in the end.
A virologist tweeted that Omikron would come like a natural disaster. You, on the other hand, remain relatively calm. Why?
I am a reserved person and I watch the facts. We don’t yet know exactly what to expect, but it takes a certain serenity. In South Africa, for example, we see that there are very many mild courses. While that’s not representative, it can inspire some confidence.
No, I don’t wear rose-colored glasses.
Many people will now say that Mr. Hauri has his rose-colored glasses on!
No, I don’t wear rose-colored glasses, but look at the situation soberly. I also don’t think that horror scenarios will get us any further.
The intensive care units are expected to be subjected to even greater loads with Omikron. At the same time, some of the health workers are likely to be absent because this variant is so contagious. How are you prepared for this in your canton?
Above all, we rely on the booster vaccination for the health staff and on the protection concepts. And then of course we have to see how we could cope if the health workers actually were to be absent on a larger scale. For example, we could start with the quarantine and isolation measures under certain conditions.
That would mean: let staff who are actually in quarantine or isolation work anyway?
Yes, it cannot be ruled out. Of course, it must not endanger the patient. Protective measures would have to be observed. The staff must not have any symptoms themselves. That is at least conceivable and has already been played through under the Delta variant and works in principle.
The new recommendation by EKIF and BAG is a challenge for the cantons, especially from an organizational point of view.
The booster is now officially recommended from four months after the last vaccination. Is Switzerland prepared for the onslaught of those willing to booster?
The new recommendation by EKIF and BAG is a challenge for the cantons, especially from an organizational point of view. It did not come as a complete surprise, as we have seen abroad that the time spans are shortened.
Much more is needed in the large cantons to ramp up their capacities.
However, many cantons were very surprised by the Federal Council’s announcement.
Above all, we are surprised at the speed at which the decision was made, not the decision itself. Many cantons were able to adapt to this, especially the smaller cantons, the larger ones have a lot more logistics and coordination effort.
So that means: the little ones are prepared, the big ones are not.
No, that’s not true, the big ones are also prepared. But the little ones are faster. Much more is needed in the large cantons to ramp up their capacities.
A year ago, just before Christmas, I asked you what you were doing about the festive season. You said: I work. How is it this year?
Nothing has changed. I am also working over this Christmas.