It is not an official policy. The path of contamination is also not a communicated strategy of the authorities. But Omikron is turning the federal pandemic policy on its head. Omikron spreads quickly. Measures do not seem to be able to slow down the variant. In Switzerland, the infection is taking its course – and with it a hoped-for wave of immunization.
Switzerland officially does not want the contamination. Patrick Mathys, head of the crisis management section in the FOPH, told the media on December 29th that he was really reluctant to use the term. In theory, contamination would already be possible, says Mathys. In practice this does not work.
Optimal patient care could no longer be guaranteed. Mathys pointed out a possible overload, especially in the hospitals: “We can’t just let Omikron run.” In the meantime, it seems that Omikron is being run, as the latest BAG graphic on the development of the Covid case numbers shows. The dark blue line shows the 7-day average, the light blue area the reported cases.
Omikron changes everything
Omikron changes everything in a very short time. Blick first mentioned the term “omicron” on November 4th. The world became aware of the variant at the end of November. Now, around two months after the discovery of the new virus strain in southern Africa, Omikron already has Switzerland firmly under control. Infection numbers keep increasing. Despite all of this, the Federal Council is not issuing any more stringent measures. On Wednesday, the Federal Council will extend the existing measures – no more and no less.
With Omikron, more people have Covid, but fewer have to go to hospital. In the meantime, many seem to have come to terms with the fact that they cannot avoid infection even when they have been vaccinated. The course has been shown to be milder, and studies and experts have shown that the triple vaccination offers a high level of protection.
It is rumored in offices, shops and factories that you just have to make sure that you don’t all have it at the same time – because everyone will have it sooner or later anyway. This is contamination. And the federal government and cantons seem powerless or unwilling to take drastic measures to stop the virus from spreading. Contamination is now “simply the reality that we are all going to build up an immunization,” says Zurich health director Natalie Rickli. “Be it through the booster or through infection.” In this regard, Rickli calls on the federal government to “pour pure wine for the population”.
“The Swiss are taking a slightly different approach”
Case study ski party Adelboden BE with 12,000 fans: Such a crowd would hardly be possible if the authorities tried to prevent infection as much as possible. The runner-up, Ösi Manuel Feller, was amazed: “The Swiss are going a bit differently,” Feller told ORF. “They try to infect everyone in one weekend.” Yes, 3G officially prevailed on the mountain in Adelboden as well. There is no compulsory mask, masks are only recommended. Safety distance, that was once upon a time.
Omikron changes the course of the pandemic, turns the pandemic into an epidemic. The unstoppable Omikron tidal wave leads to the de facto contamination of Switzerland. Omikron no longer reproduces so much in the lungs, but more flu-like in the nose and throat. There are fewer hospitalized people and those who are hospitalized are less likely to require intensive care and oxygen than in previous waves, according to recent data.
“Omikron heralds the transition to endemic,” said the German epidemiologist Klaus Stöhr (62) in an interview with Blick. The former WHO and Novartis scientist who lives in Switzerland has a clear assessment of Omikron – and calls for a radical realignment of the pandemic policy. Stöhr also calls for the quarantine obligation for contact persons who have been vaccinated to be lifted. The immune protection in the population is growing, so Stöhr. Hardly anyone speaks of closings and lockdowns anymore.
Lack of staff due to Omikron: The mail could be late(01:31)