The omicron wave is stagnating at a high level, said Virginie Masserey, head of section at the Federal Office of Public Health (OFSP) on Tuesday in front of the media in Bern. The Lake Geneva region and Ticino are the most affected by the new variant.
Omicron predominates at more than 90%: the wave seems to be stagnating at a high level, said the head of the Infection Control and Vaccination Program section, during the press briefing by Confederation experts. It does not predict a “peak”. The number of cases is likely to increase, but more slowly, she said.
The actual number of infections is certainly much higher than that identified by tests and declarations, according to the specialist. Many infections with no or few symptoms are currently untested. The new cases mainly affect young people and the working population.
Lake Geneva region more affected
The incidence varies between regions. The cantons most affected are those of the Lake Geneva region as well as Ticino, with the highest incidences over 14 days: Geneva shows 6,500 cases out of 100,000 inhabitants. It is also the Lake Geneva region that is seeing the greatest increase in hospitalizations.
“We don’t really explain these geographical differences and we don’t know what the evolution will be either,” said Ms. Masserey. These differences between western and eastern Switzerland are also reflected at European level, she notes. With the delta variant, it was the reverse.
No waves in hospitals
Occupancy in intensive care, stabilized at a high level, remains manageable. So far, there has been no real wave of patients in hospitals, said during the press briefing Rudolf Hauri, president of the Association of Cantonal Doctors of Switzerland.
But there are considerable differences between regions. Hauri said there had been no large-scale transfers of patients from one canton to another.
With regard to screening capacities in the cantons, the workload of the cantonal health authorities remains high, despite the reduction in the duration of quarantine and isolation to 5 days. For this reason, it is still recommended that people who have tested positive notify their closest contacts themselves by SMS.
High immunity
In terms of vaccinations, 60% of the population is fully vaccinated, while 4% of children aged 5 to 11 have had a primary vaccination. There are approximately 60,000 daily vaccinations, especially third doses. More than 3 million people received a reminder, or 62% of those eligible.
The 12-15 age group does not yet have the possibility of receiving the booster dose. The Federal Vaccination Commission is preparing recommendations for this age group for the end of this week, said Virginie Masserey.
The booster helps reduce the spread and increases the duration of protection against a severe evolution, regardless of the variant. “Vaccines specific to the omicron variant are not ready to be available,” says Virginie Masserey.
High immunity in the population, while not protective against infection and mild illness, largely protects against hospitalizations, Masserey insisted. In addition, the omicron variant causes less severe developments.
The 2G rule justified
In this context, the question arises of the usefulness of vaccination and recovery certificates and of the 2G rule. “One may wonder what is the point of limiting access to vaccinated or cured people, since the latter also become infected and transmit the virus. We believe that restrictions are still justified,” says Ms Masserey.
Vaccinated and cured people are less likely to become infected than non-immune people, according to the expert. Above all, they are much better protected from a serious development, in particular in the four months following the booster vaccination or if the infection is recent.
People infected in the past with old variants are however poorly protected against omicron, recalls the FOPH expert. It is therefore recommended that they get vaccinated, a single dose being sufficient.
Quarantines on the rise
The number of people in isolation and quarantine has increased compared to last week, despite the reduction in the duration of these measures. According to Hauri, this is because family members of infected people must continue to be quarantined, unlike other contact persons.
Quarantines are also on the rise because contamination remains high, added Ms. Masserey. In view of the shorter incubation period of omicron, the duration of isolation and quarantine has been reduced from ten to five days due to the increasing shortage of manpower in many professional sectors. On this front, a relaxation has not yet occurred.
Registre long Covid
The question of the medical treatment of patients with long Covid was also addressed. Ms. Masserey recalled that some university hospitals have special consultations and that the attending physicians are also specially trained to deal with these long Covid cases.
For his part, Mr. Hauri indicated that no canton was currently planning to create a specialized center for long Covid patients. Family doctors remain the first interlocutors of this type of patient, according to him.
This article has been published automatically. Source: ats