The hospital admissions due to Corona and the occupancy of the intensive care units are of particular importance when justifying new measures. Reports from “Blick” and the TV broadcaster “Léman Bleu” are currently suggesting that significantly fewer people come to the hospital because of Corona than the daily federal figures show.
SRF science editor Thomas Häusler explains that due to the lack of precise case analyzes, no conclusive assessment is possible.
SRF News: Are there really fewer people being admitted to hospital because of Corona than the federal figures suggest?
Thomas Häusler: You have to be very careful with an assessment for the time being. I asked hospitals and experts and the picture is unclear. The large Inselspital in Bern, for example, did not systematically test patients who came in without Covid symptoms until recently. The hospitals that have already done this report very different numbers, so that an overview is difficult.
How big is the difference between people who actually have to go to hospital because of Corona and those who have to be treated for something else and only then test positive?
Due to the data situation, it is not possible to say exactly for the time being. According to media reports, two hospitals state that almost half of the patients who tested positive on admission with no symptoms. Other hospitals speak of individual cases.
The case numbers would have to be analyzed much more precisely in order to be able to draw conclusions.
But the picture is a little more complex. An expert told me that there are often cases where patients have several ailments at the same time or where a serious Covid disease only develops over time. The case numbers would have to be analyzed much more precisely in order to be able to draw conclusions.
What could that mean now? Isn’t that so bad? Or is it still relevant whether someone is corona-positive in the hospital?
It’s hardly half as wild. It’s true: According to all that is known, Omikron causes more symptom-free and lighter courses. At the same time, the number of cases and the number of unreported cases are currently very high. So there will tend to be more cases where someone is admitted with a broken leg and then tests positive.
The number of cases and the number of unreported cases are currently very high.
But these “With Covid” patients still cause significantly more work in the hospitals because they are laboriously isolated. In addition to all of this, the hospitals are currently threatened with danger from another side: some are already reporting higher staff absences due to Omikron and a tense situation. It is to be feared that the overload due to staff shortages will increase.
How about the corona cases in the intensive care units? Are there also discrepancies there?
Here, too, there is no precise overview. The information available to me suggests that the vast majority of Covid-positive patients are in the intensive care units because of Covid.
Interview conducted by Rebecca Villiger.