How strained will the crown situation be in German hospitals in autumn 2022? Opinions among virologists are divided. A Munich expert takes a stand.
Munich – Dramatic images of intensive care units in German hospitals have faded into the background in the face of the summer of 2022 – but they are still omnipresent. After all, many people fear that reports of alleged bottlenecks in medical facilities will soon return to Germany.
Munich virologist Ulrike Protzer is of the opinion that severe corona incidence data will no longer cause hospital overcrowding in the upcoming cold season. “We have built an excellent immune system through the vaccinations and infections we have suffered”, explains the doctor of the Technical University of Munich to the General of Augusta.
Corona in Autumn 2022: Less overcrowded hospitals? The doctor explains the thesis
The 59-year-old describes corona vaccinations as a “game changer” in the fight against the number of infections. According to her, elderly and immunocompromised people in particular were at risk of serious illness. “Since most of them have been vaccinated three times, it’s completely different.” Protzer sees the main reason for the reduced risk of hospital overcrowding in the immunization of a large part of the population.
Meanwhile, the German Bundestag has approved new crown rules for next autumn:
Are overcrowded hospitals a thing of the past? The Munich professor expects a strong surge of influence
The extent to which the Munich professor’s prognosis applies to the general emergency room situation seems questionable: after all, hospitals have struggled with supply bottlenecks since long before the corona pandemic, caused by rigorous cost management in the healthcare system and resulting personnel problems.
Although Protzer assumes that the risk situation from Covid-19 has decreased given the huge number of corona vaccinations: instead, the scientist fears big problems with another wave of the disease. Due to the constant coverage of the airways, he expects the number of flu to increase: “In the last two years we have had very few cases due to the constant use of masks, but that will happen again this year,” the doctor suspects in the newspaper. .
The high incidence of the coronavirus was also reflected in clinics during the summer: across Bavaria there was a shortage of staff who are sick or have to take care of infected children. (PF)
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