They stand for the tensions and fates of the last two years: Intensive care specialist Anja Müller fought for the survival of the seriously ill – in a hospital at the limit, personally at the limit. At the same time, many people were relaxed or even careless about the pandemic. For example yodeller Buba Bertschy. Living on was the focus for him. Daniel Koch was omnipresent at the beginning of the pandemic. Praised for its objectivity, criticized for the mask debacle.
Buba Bertschy, yodeler and organizer
I certainly haven’t withdrawn.
Yodeling is his life. For Buba Bertschy there is nothing better than singing with friends. Even during Corona. Professionally, he was severely restricted as a conductor as well as organizer and singer of the yodel musical – Bertschy did not allow himself to be restricted privately.
Bertschy continued to yodel, on a smaller scale, and made new friends with like-minded people. Like-minded means: relaxed in dealing with Corona, a need for closeness, for a hug, for yodeling together. They see the certificate as a harassment, many are not vaccinated.
But is it a good idea to sing in a group during the pandemic? Bertschy says he has respect for Covid, knows that you should keep your distance. But: “It was a good idea for the heart to yodel with loved ones. So you can forget the whole ‘Gstürm’ sometimes.” That was also important.
For the heart it was a good idea to yodel together with loved ones.
Bertschy fell ill with Corona himself. Once in autumn 2020, a second time recently with Omikron. Both mild gradients. He consciously accepted that he would be infected. «Fortunately nothing happened. But there are certainly people who thought the same as me and who were badly hit, »says Bertschy. But death is part of life. “I have the feeling that a lot of people forget that. You can’t die anymore these days.”
Bertschy neither wants to play down Corona nor be disrespectful towards the Corona dead. He relates it to a personal stroke of fate: “I lost a child that was very young. Since then I have had a different view of death. And: One should live life now.” Privately, Buba Bertschy would not do anything differently during the pandemic.
Anja Müller, intensive care specialist
People who don’t vaccinate themselves and don’t stick to the measures destroy me.
Anja Müller has been fighting for the survival of countless Covid patients in the intensive care unit of the Inselspital Bern for two years. During long shifts, she is confronted with the suffering of the seriously ill. Since the delta wave, it is often younger people who were in the middle of life before Covid. This is also tough for intensive care specialist Müller: “It can affect anyone. If you are 50, have children, have few underlying diseases, then it is impressive. It’s very stressful.”
The hospital staff is used to high levels of stress. However, these are usually limited in time. In the pandemic, the burden has hardly stopped since the first wave.
Last late summer, Anja Müller was on the attack and considered quitting. She asked herself, “Why am I still doing this to myself? I almost couldn’t bear to see these situations anymore. I was very emotional, I cried at the little one. It bothered me a lot.” Some in her team would have quit because of the high workload. Anja Müller stayed.
I was very emotional, I cried at the little one. That bothered me a lot.
The issue of vaccination has divided society. Anja Müller experienced a reality in her work that some people did not want to accept. “I have never looked after vaccinated patients, only unvaccinated ones,” says Müller. They were often surprised at how difficult it is to get Corona. Some regretted it in the intensive care unit: “If I had known that, I would have been vaccinated immediately – I heard this sentence a few times,” says Anja Müller.
The nurse feels let down by the people who don’t get vaccinated. Although vaccinations reduce the number of severe cases, the vaccination rate stagnated. That was tough for Anja Müller, who works in the overburdened healthcare system.
She remembers autumn 2021: “There was a situation where I really yelled at someone: You don’t understand what this is doing to us. I have to endure and endure it afterwards. You could support me by getting vaccinated – and don’t do it.”
In the hospitals, the pandemic is not over yet. Anja Müller hopes that the corona burden will continue to decrease.
Daniel Koch, Mister Corona
My world would be better without the pandemic.
Overnight, the rather unknown official Daniel Koch became the famous Mister Corona. His matter-of-fact and dry performances brought calm to the hectic first few weeks. Koch received recognition.
He was also impressed by one experience: “People applauded in the train station. That went very deep. I found: no, the applause does not belong to me, but to all the people who implement the measures. »
He went to an intensive care unit early on. The many Covid patients touched Koch. He saw the dangerous potential of the virus and wanted to do his best to fight the pandemic.
Did that work? “No, that certainly didn’t always work out. But a lot has been achieved, »says Daniel Koch, who is also sharply criticized. Especially with the masks. At the beginning of the pandemic, Switzerland had far too few of them. Koch reiterated: “Masks, when worn in the general population, are very ineffective.” A little later came the obligation to wear a mask on public transport. Then the Federal Council expanded the mask requirement.
Once people realized that, masks made sense as an added layer of protection.
No contradiction for Koch – even if his mask strategy caused a lot of confusion for many people. At first you didn’t know exactly how the virus spread, says Koch. Therefore, hygiene and distance rules were more important. “As soon as people understood that, masks made sense as an additional protection.”
Koch still admits a mistake with the masks: “Perhaps one should have said a little earlier: Yes, masks on public transport, that will definitely help.”
Daniel Koch is also self-critical when it comes to retirement and nursing homes. They would not have helped them enough during the first wave. “We should have told them how to deal with Corona – and not left them alone.”
For the three Corona protagonists and for all of us, a chapter in Corona history will close this week. Now comes the processing of the pandemic and the measures.