(ats) “I am truly amazed at the nonchalance with which we continue to deal with this virus in Europe, while the number of cases is barely declining,” Karrer said in an interview broadcast on Sunday by the SonntagsBlick. The epidemiological situation on the continent is currently not good enough for mass events to be allowed without control, he said.
“Euro football is an ideal ground for the virus” SARS-CoV-2, adds the chief infectious disease doctor at the Cantonal Hospital of Winterthur. Several massive infections have already been reported, he notes, reading nearly 2,000 Scottish fans infected in London as well as hundreds of Finns in two games in St. Petersburg. Hot spots like England or Russia need much more consistent protective measures, he said.
In the coming weeks, we will know to what extent the European Football Championship has contributed to the spread of the coronavirus and to the intensification of the pandemic, continues Mr. Karrer. “It is conceivable that a trend reversal will also occur in Switzerland after a long period of declining number of cases.”
The contagiousness of the Delta variant, also called Indian, is such that a new wave among unvaccinated people is possible already in summer, notes the infectious disease specialist. “In any case, we have to be careful not to end up with a fourth wave in Switzerland.”
Mr Karrer expects that from mid-July the delta mutation of the virus, which is twice as contagious, will dominate in Switzerland. He hopes for an 80% coronavirus vaccination rate. But “with the Delta variant, it would be good if it were even higher, especially in those over 50”.
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