Federal Councillor @alain_berset on reopening, the #3rdWave, individual responsibility, and #LongCovid at the 12 March press conference:
All different scenarios for reopening modeled by the @SwissScience_TF and the ETHZ come to the same conclusion: We have to expect a 3rd wave.
This is not the best time for reopening, given the epidemiological situation.
But because we had an evolution of our strategy, it seems possible to us to consider openings despite this very unstable situation as long as we are extremely careful in our individual actions.
This is the first time that we reopen while the numbers go up. Normally we did the opposite.
Since the beginning of this year we're trying an evolution of that strategy, it is based on risks, which is why it's important that everybody participates.
Now we know that a considerable part of those who will get the disease will have medium or even long term problems. It's called #LongCovid and it affects about 20-25% of people including teenagers and children.
If we let the disease spread, we risk long-term health consequences.
The rise in infections is not unexpected. We should in fact not open but shut down even harder like our neighbors. But it seems to us that we can try a different strategy, because we want to be able to reopen and to live again.
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“Doesn’t the current strategy lead to a «Durchseuchung» (mass infection), especially for children who still have few opportunities to get vaccinated?”
— @BoeglinP
“Durchseuchung sounds negative. We can’t stop the virus, what we do is to slow it down.”
— @ignaziocassis, 12.1.2022
“How did the Federal Council include LongCovid in its risk assessments?”
— @NathalieChris18
“We’ve included it every now and then. We know very little. With our immunity the goal isn’t containment. We need a situation where we can live with the virus.”
— @alain_berset, 12.1.2022
…or in other words:
“That’s simply Darwinism, if you may put it that way.”
— @alain_berset, 12.1.2022
“The objective is to reduce the transmission of the virus and to regain control … not to lose control of the situation”
— @alain_berset, 17.12.2021
“The Federal Council decided this morning to make a strong recommendation to the cantons and hospitals to postpone non-urgent operations in order to relieve the staff during the acute phase of the pandemic in January and February.”
— @alain_berset, 17.12.2021