The corona numbers are increasing, the intensive care units in Germany are filling up.
According to the director of internal medicine at Cologne University Hospital, there is a risk of triage there if there is a further increase.
Cologne - "It's five past twelve", warned Michael Hallek on Tuesday (April 13th) in the
ARD
- "Tagesthemen".
The director of internal medicine at the Cologne University Clinic explained that the situation in the intensive care units could only be monitored because of the willingness and flexibility of the doctors and the nursing staff.
Corona in Germany: Hallek criticizes politics - emergency brake "too slow and too late"
The doctor referred to regional differences, but especially in large cities the situation in the intensive care units is "very tense".
Hallek gave an example: "In the southern Rhineland we had no more beds in the entire area for two weekends." Gernot Marx, President of the intensive care medicine association DIVI, explained in an interview with the
Augsburger Allgemeine
that one would be able to get one in April Expect a new high of corona intensive care patients in Germany.
"All of us who work in intensive care medicine are disappointed with the slowness of the decisions, and a bit horrified," criticized Hallek in the
ARD
- "Tagesthemen" * the actions of politics.
Intensive care physicians have been pointing out for weeks that the situation is becoming critical.
Hallek described some of the proposals in the draft for the nationwide Corona emergency brake as “very good”, but it was “too slow and too late”.
SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach made a similar statement.
Corona in Germany: Incidence value of 100 as limit "set dangerously high"
In addition, the director of internal medicine at the Cologne University Hospital criticized the orientation towards the incidence value of 100. “It's roughly as if you were allowed to drive at 100 km / h on a very narrow path in the Dolomites and you knew that at 30 there was a risk of falling “, Hallek drew a comparison.
For the fight against the corona pandemic *, especially with the spread of virus variant B.1.1.7 *, the limit value is set at an incidence of 100 "dangerously high".
A quick implementation of stricter corona rules * by politics is important, otherwise the number of corona patients and thus the number of intensive care patients will continue to rise.
"Because: the patients of today are the intensive care patients of two weeks", explained Hallek further.
A nationwide increase in the number of intensive care patients to 6000 or even more would certainly result in “further crisis situations” in some large cities.
"It is important to prevent this," urged the doctor urgently.
Dramatic corona situation in Cologne: Hallek warns of the threat of triage "in a week"
By “crisis situation”, Hallek probably means the worst-case scenario in his assessment: triage.
For corona patients * it is a matter of life and death, for example deciding who is connected to a ventilator - and who is not.
The physician had already
warned of the occurrence of such a situation at the Cologne University Hospital
in the
WDR
broadcast “Current Hour”.
"If the numbers continue to rise, it's still a week," said Hallek when asked when a triage could start in Cologne.
“None of us really want to experience that.
I would like to prevent that at all costs, ”the doctor made it clear there as well.
It is important to "make political decisions immediately and quickly".
Corona intensive care units in Germany are filling up - "extremely worrying"
Medical care is suffering from this situation and operations have to be postponed.
This is not only the case in Cologne, but also in some other large cities, stressed Hallek in the
ARD
- "Tagesthemen".
"This threatens to spread to other districts and other cities and I think that is extremely worrying," said the doctor's urgent warning.
It now needs speed, nationwide compliance with the corona measures, a significant reduction in contacts and, above all, transparency.
"I think a very important, perhaps the most important measure is clear communication," said the director of internal medicine at Cologne University Hospital.
The effects of the corona vaccinations * can be expected in two to three months.
"During this time we should try to reduce contacts, all together, in order to prevent thousands more deaths from Covid-19 in Germany," Hallek's appeal to the population.
In the new episode of the
NDR
podcast "Coronavirus Update",
virologist Christian Drosten also called for
tougher corona measures for Germany - in the "very near future".
(ph) * Merkur.de and 24rhein.de are offered by IPPEN.MEDIA
