The experience of the past corona waves shows that it usually takes 14 days for increasing incidence values to become noticeable in the intensive care units.
But some of the hospitals in the district are already working to the limit.
District
- In the Penzberg hospital, ten Covid 19 patients are currently (as of Wednesday noon) being looked after as inpatients, as well as two suspected cases. With these figures, the Penzberger Klinik is slowly approaching its capacity limit. There is definitely space for twelve Covid 19 patients, explained medical director Dr. Florian Brändle on request. If there are more, it must be considered whether Covid 19 patients will be transferred to other hospitals in the Oberland. Brändle explained this with the fact that the patients on the isolation ward are initially alone in the room because it is first clarified which corona variant they have. This may also be necessary if Covid 19 patients have additional illnesses. In addition, a separate room is required for each suspected case.
Seven of the ten Covid 19 patients are unvaccinated according to the Penzberger Klinik.
One patient had a breakthrough vaccination.
Two senior citizens who tested positive were also fully vaccinated; they would now have had the third vaccination.
Most Covid-19 patients in the house are older than 70, according to the clinic. However, there is also a 31-year-old and three people between 50 and 60 among the patients. The oldest patient is 90.
Caring for Covid patients is very complex
According to Brändle at the Penzberg hospital, plannable treatments have been postponed again since last week. The surgical program has been reduced, he said. A big problem is that the employees "no longer have the strength to take part in another wave like this". According to him, this particularly affects the nursing staff, as the care of Covid 19 patients is very complex.
After a month of rest, a Covid 19 case came to the Penzberg hospital for the first time in mid-August.
After that, the number of cases remained low for a long time.
“But it has been really going up for four weeks,” says Brändle.
Until last week, half a ward was sufficient as an isolation area at the Penzberg clinic.
In the meantime it has turned a complete station into an isolation area again.
Covid-19 patients who need intensive medical care will be transferred to other hospitals as before.
Brändle expects the number of cases to continue to rise in the next few weeks.
Development in the coming weeks can hardly be estimated
Dr.
Florian Amor, head of the intensive care unit at the Schongau hospital.
“It's very difficult for us to estimate what is in store for us in the coming weeks,” he says.
Sure, they are now experienced in dealing with pandemic waves and have “disaster plans” in their drawer.
So far, they have not had to be pulled out, "nobody knows whether it will stay that way".
Amor sure knows who is in the intensive care unit.
There are four patients in Weilheim, three in Schongau.
The average age would only be around 50 because "we have an elderly patient with us," said the doctor.
On average, the patients are significantly younger.
"The worst case that we are currently treating is a woman who is significantly younger than 30." Of course, like almost all corona intensive care patients currently being treated, she is not vaccinated.
Does vaccination do no good?
"Bullshit"
"If I keep hearing that the vaccination is of no use, I can only say: This is nonsense," the doctor said clearly.
Of course, the current incidences lead to vaccination breakthroughs, but "a vaccination effectively protects against a severe course that ends with us in the intensive care unit".
The reference to possible long-term damage caused by the vaccination is also not an argument for Amor.
He tells of the unvaccinated competitive athlete in his mid-20s who was in intensive care for weeks with a Covid infection.
“I saw the pictures of his lungs when he was released.” It would be a miracle if he could still do competitive sports.
The damage is too great.
One would still get along.
Because you have enough experienced staff.
The vaccination rate of the doctors in his department is 100 percent, that of the nursing staff is almost 100 percent, says Amor.
Most of the plannable operations could take place.
How much longer, no one could say.
14 days ago, 38 new infections were reported within 24 hours in the Weilheim-Schongau district.
Yesterday it was 111.
