The number of people with a viral infection is increasing. In many cases it concerns corona. The amount of coronavirus particles in sewage is higher than ever. At the same time, few people seem to care about corona advice.
Do you know what the rules are if you get sick and it might be corona? To test or not to test? Work from home if you cough and sneeze, or go to the office if you have minor complaints? Face masks are also nowhere to be seen.
‘Considerable increase in infectious diseases’
According to internist-infectiologist at Radboud university medical center Chantal Rovers, ‘forgetting’ the advice for respiratory infections is not wise. “We have seen a significant increase in infectious diseases such as corona and other viruses in recent weeks.”
“That makes sense,” says the doctor. “It’s a bit part of the time of year. But hospital admissions are increasing, and it is getting busier, especially in the regular departments.” Admissions increased in the past week from an average of 108 new admissions per day to 143 per day.
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More virus particles in sewage than ever
The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) is still measuring the number of coronavirus particles in sewage water. This shows how many people are currently infected with the disease.
The national average of virus particles shot up last week, with a 57 percent increase from the previous week. The total amount of coronavirus particles in sewage is currently higher than ever.
Employees who drop out
“If people with vulnerable health get corona, they can still become seriously ill and end up in hospital,” Rovers explains. “There it can lead to higher workload and postponement of other care.”
There are also social consequences if many people become ill at the same time: “You want to prevent companies from having many employees drop out. In addition, people can still contract post-COVID syndrome, this also applies to young, previously healthy people.”
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Defense against the coronavirus
“Most people have now built up immunity against the coronavirus,” the doctor continues. “They have already had the virus one or more times, or received vaccinations. But I think it is good if people realize that there is a lot of corona going around in society at the moment, and that there is therefore a good chance that you will become infected .”
“That is particularly a problem for people with vulnerable health,” Rovers emphasizes. “They can still become seriously ill, end up in hospital and, in the worst case, die.”
‘The advice is still there’
Rovers therefore believes it is important that the advice for respiratory infections is listened to. “These advice are still there: are you sick? Stay at home. Are you not sick, but do you have complaints? Work from home if possible. Avoid contact with people who could become seriously ill from an infection. Is contact still necessary , for example when providing informal care? Then wear a mouth-nose mask.”
Internist infectious disease specialist Chantal Rovers believes it is important that the corona advice is listened to
Government must communicate more clearly
The Nijmegen doctor has also been a professor of Outbreaks of Infectious Diseases for a few years now. She believes that the government should communicate more clearly about the advice that is still available, and that it is important to take it seriously.
“Societal perception of the risks of corona and other viral infections is currently low,” says Rovers. “And many people don’t know that they can still get vaccinated if they want.”
There is certainly no reason to panic, says Rovers, but she believes a little caution won’t hurt. “It will no longer be as bad as it was during the pandemic, but we should not underestimate corona either. We should not want a lot of people to get sick in the coming weeks.”
What to do at Christmas?
And what to do at Christmas and New Year’s Eve? “The fact that people no longer have to test does not mean that you can no longer test. That can certainly be useful, so that people know whether they themselves have corona. Then they can be extra careful and, for example, not visit their elderly parent or grandfather and to visit grandma.”
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Nobody adheres to corona advice anymore, and that is not smart a week before Christmas
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2023-12-16 06:00:01
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