Dachau - Exactly one patient is currently still being treated in the Helios Amper Clinic - on the normal ward - due to a corona infection.
Is that all good?
Have we finally got over the pandemic after a year?
No, says Prof. Dr.
Hjalmar Hagedorn, medical director of the clinic, in an interview with the local newspaper.
According to Chancellor Angela Merkel, the aim of corona policy has always been to protect our health system from collapse. Has this succeeded in Dachau?
Dr.
Hjalmar Hagedorn: Although we admitted a lot of corona patients, we never reached our limit in our clinic.
We always had the option of setting up additional intensive care and normal beds for Covid patients within our step-by-step plan.
In the second wave we had more corona patients to care for than in the first, but we were better prepared and an even better coordinated team.
Have you personally been to the point where you said: I can no longer!
No, I wasn't at my personal performance limit.
But of course the last year was a big challenge because the pandemic presented us all with new tasks that required a high level of commitment, flexibility and initiative.
We are therefore very happy that the second wave is abating and that we are slowly returning to normal mode.
But was there also a positive moment or a nice experience that gave you courage?
What particularly touched me during this time are the team spirit and solidarity.
We were faced with this difficult time and the employees in the various departments and stations were welded together.
We noticed: When the going gets tough, we can react very quickly and very flexibly.
Responsibility was not discussed for long, it was just tackled.
The privatization of the Dachau clinic was viewed critically by many. Unlike some of the surrounding district hospitals, however, your house got through the pandemic very well. Do you share this assessment?
The corona pandemic poses major challenges for all clinics.
Our clear goal from the start was to always be open to accept Covid-19 cases.
As part of the Helios company with 89 clinics, we have benefited from the overarching structures.
The information and empirical values of all clinics were collected and evaluated in the central Helios task force and recommendations were derived accordingly.
That was and is extremely helpful in an unprecedented pandemic.
How do you see the situation today? Many warn of mutations, a third wave - where do we stand?
With the current incidence of below 50, we can currently be satisfied with the development in Dachau - but we also know how fragile this situation is.
Various mutations have already been detected in the district.
It remains to be seen how the infection process will develop over the next few weeks.
It is the responsibility of every individual citizen to continue to adhere to the hygiene and distance rules.
You have treated countless Covid patients in the past twelve months. Are you following their fate? Many still suffer from the consequences for months ...
As an ENT doctor, I am particularly in contact with patients who suffer from odor problems after a Covid infection.
This shows that this damage significantly restricts the patient's quality of life over a longer period of time.
What have you been teaching over the past twelve months?
How important it is to regularly screen employees to uncover undetected infections and thus protect patients and employees.
We still regularly take swabs from our colleagues and are pleased about the high willingness to be tested.
You also had yourself vaccinated. How do you deal with vaccination skeptics?
As an ENT doctor, I am in direct contact with patients and are exposed to a high risk of infection.
If I were infected, my patients would be at high risk.
It was therefore a matter of course for me to get vaccinated.
The sooner everyone is vaccinated, the sooner we will have herd immunization and break the pandemic.
I can therefore only recommend everyone to get vaccinated.
Let's assume that we will be able to lead a reasonably free life again in summer: What are you looking forward to?
I am not that optimistic.
I don't think we'll have a normal summer.
There will still be significant restrictions - for good reason.
But I am really looking forward to mountain biking with friends in the mountains again and to end the evening in an alpine pasture.
Interview: Stefanie Zipfer
