Copyright: dpa
Colds and corona infections are increasing again significantly after the carnival days in the Rhineland.
After the carnival days, the number of infections increases significantly again. The number of corona patients in clinics is also increasing again. Many employers expect staff shortages.
Rows of sick leave, long queues in front of the doctor’s office, collapsing telephone lines: After the carnival days, there are signs of what is likely to happen in the Rhineland. After the hustle and bustle in halls and pubs as well as on the trains, there is a risk of a bad corona hangover!
“The waiting rooms are full, the infections are increasing. We also assume that there is still a lot to come and we recommend everyone who doesn’t feel well to stay at home for the time being,” says Oliver Funken, Chairman of the NRW Association of General Practitioners. “It’s definitely better to call in sick first than go to work as a ‘spreader’.”
General Practitioners’ Association advises: reporting sick instead of “spreaders” at work
It is still too early for the North Rhine Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians to make reliable statements, as the incubation period for the current type of corona virus is usually five days. “In view of the recent rampant pathogens and viruses, increasing rates of illness after the carnival days cannot be ruled out,” said the statement.
A look at the numbers in the NRW hospitals shows that on Wednesday (February 22, 2023) there were 3804 patients with Covid 19 disease in a clinic. At the peak of the pandemic, the number of people infected in the clinics was around 6,000. Difference: with 240 people, the number in the intensive care units is significantly lower.
Regarding the possible consequences of the carnival celebrations, Matthias Blum, Managing Director of the North Rhine-Westphalia Hospital Association, says to EXPRESS.de: “The positive balance of the authorities and the carnival clubs about a largely undisturbed climax of the session is positive news in itself. However, it is still too early to assess whether this also applies to the spread of corona infections and other seasonal diseases from a health perspective.”
However, he points out: “The hospitals are already tense when it comes to the carnival days: since the mask requirement in local transport was abolished, the number of patients in inpatient treatment who tested positive for Corona has increased noticeably and persistently. We will monitor this development just as closely as possible effects in the area of hospital employees.
Hospitals have already entered session tensely
The carnival will once again have fueled the infection process in North Rhine-Westphalia. Even the session carnival, at least all the data suggests it, took its toll. Wastewater analyzes in Cologne-Stammheim, Bonn and Düsseldorf showed how the corona numbers are increasing.
This is also reflected in the data from the Wisplinghoff laboratory, which regularly publishes its figures. “For the past week, there has been an increasing positivity rate of 38.6 percent,” says Dr. Kathrin Ehren when asked by EXPRESS.de.
See the developments in corona testing here:
The “Kraken variant” XBB 1.5 has taken command of the infection process. “The sequencing data show that there has been a continuous increase in the XBB 1.5 variant, which is the currently predominant variant in the USA.”
According to the European disease control agency ECDC, it will remain dominant in Europe in the coming weeks. And the carnival Rhineland should be in front.
Cologne’s “vaccination pope” Zastrow: People should test more again
dr Jürgen Zastrow, once known as Cologne’s “vaccination pope”, has a bad prognosis: “The problem is that basically nobody tests themselves anymore. Now the untested infected people will spread the virus in their environment. In about ten days we should see the real carnival effect.”
Zastrow has an appeal: “We should make it as clear as possible to people that it is time to test themselves regularly again. Even if you didn’t go out at carnival.”
Take part in our EXPRESS.de survey here:
The trade association of North Rhine-Westphalia doesn’t just want to blame the many sick leave on Corona: “The corona pandemic has receded into the background in the consciousness of many. At the moment it is less specifically corona diseases, but often common colds that sometimes lead to higher sick leave,” EXPRESS.de said.
The Cologne transport company also fears further failures. “The sickness rate for our drivers was between 15 and 20 percent over the carnival days, and it was slightly higher in the light rail area than in the bus area. In the first two weeks of February, it was only slightly lower on average, between 14 and 18 percent,” said the KVB.
