Experts Warn of Rising Coronavirus Cases and Flu Epidemic: Can Christmas Be Celebrated Safely?

ANP

NOS News•today, 07:27•Changed today, 09:26

Everyone at a long table enjoying gourmet food Last Christmas by Wham blares from the speaker. Christmas is back to normal, for the second time since the corona pandemic. No measures or special government advice. While there are now more coronavirus particles in the sewage water than during the highest peak of the pandemic and this is happening a flu epidemic, according to figures from the RIVM. Is celebrating Christmas as usual as smart?

It is the most normal thing in the world to experience a lot of sniffling and coughing around the holidays, says virologist Louis Kroes of the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC). “It is a real respiratory virus season as always, but with one more virus: corona.” Yet, according to Kroes, we are more alert than before. “It is now all being followed with more tension than before, due to our experiences with corona.”

‘Other nasty viruses’

This is also noticed by epidemiologist and health economist Eline van den Broek-Altenburg of the Amsterdam UMC. “It has always been the case that there are many sick people in the winter. Previously we were not concerned about it at all. We are now concerned about corona, while there are also other, nasty viruses going around at the moment. For example, there is a fairly significant bronchitis and the RS virus is much more worrying for children than corona. There are also serious flu viruses going around.”

The graph below shows the sewage water measurements from the RIVM. This clearly shows that the number of coronavirus particles has never been this high before:

NOSincrease in coronavirus particles in sewage water

Virologist Marion Koopmans from Erasmus MC in Rotterdam still finds it exciting. “There is a bizarre amount of corona at the moment. There are many sick people every winter and in some winters healthcare was already at a standstill due to flu. But now there is an extra virus, corona, which circulates heavily and which sometimes makes people very ill. More people are currently in hospital due to corona than due to flu.”

Repeat injection

Corona has become less of a threat, says virologist Kroes. “Vulnerable people are well protected because they recently received a repeat injection. And in any case, we all have more immunity, also because we have often already had corona. Furthermore, the virus is less intense.”

Healthcare is not under pressure and ICUs are not full. According to Koopmans, we owe a lot to vaccines. “As a result, far fewer people are now in hospital. There is more corona going around than ever measured, but there is no chaos. Thanks to corona vaccines.”

However, being careful with grandparents remains wise, Koopmans warns. “Risk groups are vulnerable. This is not because the corona vaccines do not work, but because they do not protect 100 percent and the virus is constantly changing.”

Epidemiologist Patricia Bruijning of the UMC Utrecht agrees. “Corona can still be serious for people with vulnerable health and the elderly. This also applies to other cold or flu viruses. You can protect risk groups with vaccination and by having them avoid contact with people with cold complaints.”

In the video below, passers-by in Nijmegen share their view of the holidays and the increasing number of corona cases. How do they deal with this?

Corona figures peak again: Can we still celebrate Christmas with family?

What is wisdom at Christmas and family celebrations? Kroes emphasizes the importance of staying at home with complaints. “You are very contagious, especially in the first stage.” You can test whether you have corona, but Kroes points out that another infection can also be dangerous for vulnerable people. Bruijning: “It is best not to visit at all if you have a cold, but that is of course difficult at Christmas.”

Cough hygiene

If you do go to the Christmas dinner, then according to Kroes you have control over how much risk that entails. “The more people are together and the worse the room is ventilated, the higher the risk. So ventilate and try to keep the group smaller.” In some other countries, the use of CO2 meters is completely normal, says Kroes. “We know that CO2 concentration is related to the risk of contamination.”

According to Van den Broek-Altenburg, hygiene is also important. “Respiratory viruses can also spread through contaminated surfaces, such as plates and cutlery.” Serving snacks on bowls that everyone takes with the same serving spoon is therefore not very virus-proof. Virologist Koopmans emphasizes the importance of ‘cough hygiene’ in company. “Cough into your elbow and keep your distance. And of course my advice is: enjoy the holidays.”

2023-12-21 06:27:12
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