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Experts are concerned about the high number of people infected with Covid in Switzerland. Thousands of Long Covid cases are feared – but it is still unclear how the many Omikron cases will affect.
Chantal Britt is President of the patient organization Long Covid Switzerland. “Thousands of people, including adults and children, are already sick and may never get well again. It’s a catastrophe for individuals, their families and of course for the economy, ”she says.
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“For this reason, we are clearly in favor of tightening the measures so that the infection is stopped until we understand the long-term consequences of the virus in adults and children,” said Britt.
20min / François Melillo
Switzerland continues to have high numbers of Covid infections.
Hospitalizations are flattening out – but long-term consequences of an illness are still possible, even if the course is mild.
Neuroscientist Dominique de Quervain warns of thousands of Long Covid cases.
The president of the patient organization Long Covid Switzerland, Chantal Britt, is also concerned.
For the epidemiologist Milo Puhan, however, it is still too early to draw conclusions.
239,616 people have been infected with Covid-19 in Switzerland since Christmas Eve. Switzerland has the highest number of cases since the beginning of the pandemic – however, there have been no further measures so far. This is probably also because the course of the disease is classified as “mild” by Omikron.
One thing is clear: the number of hospitalizations is currently falling slightly. Still, there is another factor of concern – Long Covid. In a tweet, neuroscientist Dominique de Quervain warns: “If Omikron causes Long Covid with the same frequency as the previous variants, thousands of people are currently added every day who will suffer from long-lasting symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, memory problems or breathing difficulties.”
“A disaster for individuals, their families and the economy”
Chantal Britt is President of the patient organization Long Covid Switzerland. “If we only look at the hospitalization rate and intensive care unit occupancy, we are consciously or unconsciously ignoring the long-term effects on adults and children. We still cannot properly assess the frequency, extent and severity of these consequences, ”she says. Britt has been suffering from the consequences of a Covid 19 disease since March 2020.
She is concerned about the high number of infections: “Thousands of people, including adults and children, are already sick and may never get well again. This is a catastrophe for individuals, their families and of course for the economy, ”stresses Britt. And: One should not forget that a large proportion of the people who fell ill with Long Covid in the first two waves have still not recovered.
“For this reason, we are clearly in favor of tightening the measures so that the infection is stopped until we understand the long-term consequences of the virus in adults and children,” said Britt.
Selina (30) is a top athlete. She missed the Olympics because of Long Covid.
20 percent of those infected develop Long Covid
For Milo Puhan, Director of the Institute for Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention at the University of Zurich, the high number of cases is still no reason to panic – the possibility of many Long Covid cases should not be overestimated or underestimated, but they must be taken very seriously to take. “In our literature review and our own population-based study from Zurich it can be seen that around 20 percent of all infected people had long-covid symptoms,” explains Puhan.
After a year, not all will be cured, the number will certainly not go back to zero, but will be around 10 to 15 percent, according to Puhan. However, the data of most studies are still based on the earlier wild-type and alpha variants – the epidemiologist estimates that Delta is likely to behave in a somewhat similar manner. As far as the future is concerned, a lot is still uncertain: “We have to wait at least three months until we know to what extent Omikron Long is causing Covid. A study would have to be carried out again soon
be put on. ” The hope for the Omikron variant is that the milder course of the disease also leads to less long covid.
“A considerable amount of manpower could be lost”
As far as the economic consequences of Long Covid are concerned, much is still uncertain, according to Puhan: “But the fact is that many people have already had to change their jobs or give up because of Long Covid – so a considerable amount of manpower could be lost.”
Can the many possible long covid cases even be prevented? «Omikron cannot be stopped. If we introduce measures, we will delay the contagion – but that has little impact on possible long-covid cases. “
Aline (27) was Corona-positive at the end of November 2020. Months later, she still suffered from the consequences.
In Switzerland, long covid has hardly been an issue in politics so far. In other countries, however, the topic is becoming more and more topical due to Omikron: “There is a risk that the largest or one of the largest new groups of chronic diseases will emerge in Finland and that not only too many adults, but in the worst case also children, will contract Covid-19 in the long term will suffer, “said the Finnish Minister for Family Affairs and Social Services Krista Kiuru in a media conference on Friday, as Reuters writes. The Finnish panel of experts analyzed more than 4,000 studies and came to the conclusion that one in two adults and two percent of children could experience longer-lasting symptoms related to Covid-19.
“The virus has been shown to penetrate the brain through the nose and the effects can also be seen in magnetic resonance imaging,” said Risto Roine, professor of neurology and chairman of the panel of experts, at the same press conference. “About 20 percent have long-term cognitive impairment,” added Roine, warning that the incidence of neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s could rise sharply after a Covid-19 infection. Finland, with its 5.5 million inhabitants, has recorded 305,522 corona cases since the beginning of the pandemic.
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