The medical director of the Munich University Clinic, Prof. Markus M. Lerch, expects a worse situation than last year in view of the spread of the corona virus.
Munich - The head of the Munich University Clinic, Prof. Markus M. Lerch, sees the development of the Corona * pandemic with growing concern.
"Because we need more intensive care beds for patients with Covid infections every day, we have to close more and more operating theaters and can only guarantee the treatment of other critically ill patients with difficulty," said the Medical Director of the LMU Clinic on Wednesday to
Merkur.de
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In view of the increasing number of infections, the German health system could already reach the limits of resilience in a few weeks, warned Lerch.
Prof. Lerch, the corona pandemic has also worsened significantly in Bavaria in the past few weeks.
How serious is the situation from your point of view?
The incidences in Bavaria * are currently rising dramatically. At the LMU Klinikum we accept over 30 new patients with Covid 10 infection every week. More and more Covid-infected patients are also requiring ventilation and need an intensive care bed. The vast majority of these are unvaccinated patients and unprotected people due to a weakened immune system, such as cancer. Because we need more intensive care beds for patients with Covid infections every day, we have to close more and more operating theaters and can only guarantee the treatment of other seriously ill patients with difficulty. It cannot be said clearly enough: the care of unvaccinated Covid patients in our intensive care units takes place at the expense and expense of many vaccinated patients with other serious diseases.
How serious is the situation compared to the latest corona high last year?
The situation is more difficult because we have fewer nursing staff available due to almost two years of heavy stress and current illnesses.
The peak of the burden last year was between the Christmas holidays, when other sick people had to be admitted less frequently.
We are now expecting a much higher level of pollution as early as the beginning of December, which further complicates the situation.
What should politicians do most urgently now to break the current wave?
Even the last vaccine skeptic now urgently needs to be convinced. Despite the breakthrough infections in vaccinated people, the following facts remain: The vaccination reduces the risk of being infected and thus infecting others by ten times, severe Covid complications by 100 times, and secondary diseases such as Long Covid or side effects (from vaccination or Covid) suffer more than 1000 times. The 2G regulations of the Bavarian state government and the announced lockdown for unvaccinated as in Upper Austria are probably the most important step in making the intensive care units available again for other seriously ill patients. Contact restrictions and the cancellation of major events are another step. If we had achieved a vaccination rate of over 90 percent by Christmas,normal public life would be possible again next year. And the intensive care units are no longer overloaded.
How do you feel about the consideration of compulsory vaccination for medical staff?
Anyone who deals with people who are particularly at risk on a daily basis must be vaccinated against Covid for the reasons mentioned above.
This applies to everyone who has to do with children, the elderly and those in need of care, as well as to all medical staff.
A nationwide vaccination requirement for hospital staff in Italy * and France has by no means led to a wave of layoffs but to high vaccination rates in these areas.
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Prof. Markus M. Lerch: The German health system could reach its limits in just a few weeks, warns the Medical Director of the LMU Klinikum.
© LMU
In Salzburg, the clinics are preparing for a triage.
Are you preparing for such a situation in Munich as well?
For two years everyone has been talking about the limits of resilience that have been reached this time. In a few weeks, our healthcare system may really reach that limit. If we were 95 percent vaccinated, the current wave of Covid would be a wave of general practitioners and outpatient care, comparable to a wave of colds. But since less than 70 percent of the population has full vaccination protection, there will be another wave of intensive care medicine. We will be able to continue to care for patients at the LMU Klinikum, including those infected with Covid 19. But possibly not with the same quality standards that we have practiced for years. If the worst comes to the worst, treatment will be more like hospital care under enemy fire than the standards of a supra-maximum care provider.In any case, the entire staff of the LMU Clinic has been preparing for this situation for weeks.
* Merkur.de is part of IPPEN.MEDIA.
