Great 🧵 asking Switzerland 🇨🇭 for data not just on hospitalizations & deaths but morbidity; those still suffering after hospital, #LongCovid#longcovidkids — a #longcovidregister… frequency & effect of reinfections; organ damage to the brain, heart, liver, kidneys etc
- little data now on infections, @ONS survey shows #Omicron cases fall (except maybe N Ire) positivity ~6% Wales, 4% other home nations
- falls in every age (good news after Jan high primary school infections) & falls in major cities first eg London
Hospital admissions fall & number still in hospital accumulating wave after wave since June should at last decline in next weeks…
🚨 England suffers one-hour 🚑 delays
🚨 over 1k deaths/week involving #covid —> still relatively high so #CovidIsNotOver by any means
Swiss 🇨🇭 #longcovid data is hard to come by, but seems vaccines protect at best 50% + partially eg not so well vs cognitive trouble
- Risk drops from 10-30% to 5-15%, even boosted can get long covid… high waiting times for consultation… ~150 new invalidity requests a month 1/3
We’re just beginning to see #Omicron has a #longcovid impact & expect to see more in coming months to high waves we’ve had. March invalidity requests (~150/month)
- 54,7% women
- 36,9% 56-65 yos
- 31,9% 46-55 yos
- 17,7% 36-45 yos
- 10,5% 26-35 yos
- 2,9% under 26 yos
2/
Prevention is better than cure — Invalidity is hard to get & doesn’t cover much
@globalhlthtwit 🦠 still soars, highest-ever hospitalization since 2nd wave.
ONS yesterday *record 2,7%* suffer #longcovid, yet gov ending of protective measures & crucial data collection means an environment of uncertainty prevails..
- highest-ever prevalence to #BA2 🌊 at 6,37-7%, maybe peaking but will cases come down or stay high?
- led by unvaccinated 1ry school kids (8,8%) & elderly (7,2%)
- 2000 hospital admissions/day
- 7% NHS staff absences
- 12% 🚑 handovers longer than 1hr
Mental health of ICU workers — after large wave 50% suffer mental illness (depression, anxiety, post traumatic stress)
—> we’re asking so much of all NHS incl social care
🚨 We’ve had ‘winter pressure’ for almost a year, still ongoing & backlog is continuing — NHS needs support
Linda Nartey (Head of Prevention & Public Health):
- know little, yet affects every fifth person (1 in 5) a few months after infection incl fatigue, breathlessness, cough, cognitive & concentration troubles, head & body pain, psy issues
- symptoms come alone or in clusters; fluctuate; disappear, weaken over time or are life-altering —> can’t work, enjoy leisure, care for family… don’t know how long it lasts
—> studies & coordination networks in process
—> don’t know how will impact 🇨🇭economic & social fabric
@PuhanMilo of @uzh_EBPI
- WHO defines #LongCovid: if first symptoms appear 3 months after infection at the earliest & persist for at least 2 more months —> multifactorial, constant or fluctuate
- 1500 cohort survey every few weeks & blood tests. No therapy yet. Shows many suffer: