Associate Prof. Angel Kunchev: In the south the coronavirus displaced the flu and there was no epidemic there, maybe it will also happen in our country



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There will be no restriction on the winter season, says the state’s chief health inspector.

– Associate Professor Kunchev, the curves of the infected and the sick increased sharply. Do the epidemiological studies of the country’s RHIs provide an explanation? Is it associated with the appearance of large buds?

There are separate outbreaks like soccer teams, companies, family outbreaks, but they do not increase morbidity. In my opinion, it is determined by two factors.

One is that the season for respiratory infections has arrived and they are all beginning to intensify, and the coronavirus, as special and new as it may be, is respiratory. The other is that we are at the beginning of a wave of growth across Europe. So far, we have been a little further, but both we and the Balkans join in this general increase of the continent.

– There was a jump in the number of infected people after the easing of measures in June, which, however, was not the typical summer month. It seemed the weather now, conducive to the spread of the virus. What is the reason for the drastic difference in height then and now, given that a few months ago people were out, there were weddings, baptisms, we went to the sea?

– We are facing a virus from the respiratory group, and naturally and biologically they are ordered so that their strong season is autumn-winter.

It is interesting to see what will happen to the flu, because we have yet to see a collision of several strains. What happened in the southern hemisphere is very interesting. There, COVID managed to boost the flu, and what happened with the seasonal flu epidemic was that there were more or less none. Incidence started to rise, stopped at one level, and never increased again. Perhaps it also happens in our country, and hopefully, because it is easier to work with a virus than with several causes.

The general thing is that the fall-winter rise has begun. Statistics show that the increase in the last two weeks is 23%, as for the whole EU. But in this context, there are countries that have an increase of 30%. So far, only Denmark is declining.

– Data from the coronavirus.bg site shows that there are more than 1000 infected people in Blagoevgrad, Sofia, Varna, Plovdiv and Burgas. Is it the most common virus there?

– No. In these areas a larger population is concentrated and it is logical that there are many infected. When comparing the number of infected with the population

they are leaders

Blagoevgrad,

Smolyan,

Kyustendil

and Dobrich,

and the lowest are Lovech, Vratsa, Haskovo and Veliko Tarnovo.

– From the beginning of the epidemic you say that if a person does not have personal responsibility to protect himself and others, no measures and controls would help. With this development of the infection and the preservation of the measures as they were in the quieter months, is not a false calm created?

– We are under constant pressure from both sides. One part of society wants us to toughen the measures in the context of most cases, which seems logical, and another part rejects any measure. We try to keep a balance between them. But the measures that are still in place are effective if implemented. The biggest problem is not that we are no longer tightening the measures, which can always happen, but that the orders are not being implemented. In this situation, and when we have national discussions about how scary it is for children to wear a mask for 30 minutes a day while out of class, it is very difficult for other more severe measures to be accepted and effective. If necessary, they will be taken, but in no case will large cities be closed and settlements blocked.

– I was referring to whether to maintain a positive tone – that the system is going to work because there are beds, although doctors are often lacking, that we maintain our positions of morbidity and mortality in the context of increasing them everywhere, does it not create an illusory calm ? And why exactly are the few measures imposed not being met?

“There is no place for peace.” When a massive increase begins in Europe, what security can we talk about? At the same time, we reached values ​​that we did not notice even during the spring rally. We have never had more than 600 cases a day, as well as more than 1,000 people in hospitals. These are quite alarming indicators.

In fact, the system can cope with even a double load, but the fact that it is already tired and the resources that are being invested are increasing should not be overlooked. So that,

Yes this

Follow

too long,

there will be problems

“You say the system will last.” However, a total of 1,000 infected doctors passed through, and the number has grown significantly in recent days. Did they neglect the measurements themselves?

– Many and very important questions. Yes, the number is too large and affects exactly the weakest link in the system. We already have a shortage of doctors and nurses, especially in some specialties that are needed at the moment, such as infectious disease specialists, microbiologists, virologists, in intensive care units, and when we discharge people who go into quarantine during weeks, it also affects the system a lot. bad. There are beds, but for everyone it is clear that the biggest problem is having someone to take care of them and with a good enough medical level.

– Is there any relaxation in the observance of the measures among the doctors themselves?

“I don’t want to say it, but it’s obvious.” 29 newly infected medical personnel in one day (Friday, ba) it’s too much. It will affect the system. That there is fatigue and satiety and that obviously they do not meet all the requirements 100%, this has an impact, but the other thing is that you work in an environment with a very high viral load.

In a hospital where these patients are constantly treated, new people are admitted, the virus is released in large quantities and this is the most risky environment possible. There, each engagement immediately kills the newly infected.

– Winter resorts were between outbreaks in February and March, from where people returned infected and spread the infection. Will there be restrictions for the winter season?

– There will be no restriction of the winter season. Skiing is a great thing, it strengthens health, it is also practiced in places where the air is crystal clear and it is even advisable to do it. However, the risk there, and what happened in the spring proved it, is not just skiing and staying at the hotel, but when we meet at the restaurant in the evening, the temperature rises. The companies sit very close to each other: they sing, they hug and there is the effective spread of the virus. If we only go for sports and we are more careful in the part where we contact in the close circle of friends, there is no problem.

That is why I do not want to talk about the failure of the winter season, although it will get worse. There are two systems in Bulgaria, of which I am surprised how well they responded: the tourism business and, in particular, hotels and schools. Very responsibly in both places they took absolutely all measures both as work organization and as purchase and investment in personal protective equipment. The environment provided by both schools and hotels is one of the safest and lowest risk. Our behavior can be confusing.

We are investigating every major explosion and currently we are finding that if it is schools, we have cases of this type in two places, be it teams, like Kardzhali “Arda” football club, or for companies, the risk is not the work environment.

Everywhere 5-6

days before

idea

In the home

we find

banquet,

a birthday or other celebration where people have been together and passed on the virus.

However, are you considering more measurements during winter sports competitions?

– Ski sports are outdoors and the risk is much lower there. Specifically for the Sofia Open, the rules for the occupation of 50% of the seats in the corridors, for the distance, for the use of masks, for disinfection, will continue to apply. The organizers have already prepared a medical protocol for the movement of the competitor, according to which he will be transported in special transport, so that there is minimal contact only with the pilot and after the race he will return. Everything is written down in one minute and one meter so there is no risk.

– What do the studies of microbiologists in our country show? Did the virus undergo a serious mutation?

– Coronavirus is not one of the fastest mutating viruses, which is a good thing because it gives hope that vaccines will be effective.

If he likes it

seasonal flu

change each one

year, it happens

very complicated

the photo with

vaccination

– And does it have something to do with the fact that it rarely mutates with the fact that at first mainly older people got sick, while in recent months the virus has increasingly affected the young, and some of them are showing a clinic?

– This is true. The age of the positive has rejuvenated and I follow it every day. Almost every day we have between 15 and 30 positive children under the age of 18, but very rarely do they have a pronounced or severe clinical picture that is life-threatening. Older and chronically ill people continue to be at risk.

– When will combined influenza and coronavirus tests be carried out in all RHIs and what quantities are planned?

– At the moment we have delivered the tests of several manufacturers to the National Center for Infectious and Parasitic Diseases. We want to make sure that the ones we use are reliable enough and that the results are both positive and negative.

After that, each RHI provides them according to need, for which we allocate funds: about 1 million BGN every month and a half for diagnostics. They will be used for contact research, for people with clinics, outbreaks and teams. Otherwise, what is on the free market, everyone can take, and each laboratory decides for itself what to buy and what to provide for diagnosis.

– And will the tests be launched in pharmacies, after passing these controls?

– There is no such requirement for there. Once they have received a permit, they can be sold in Bulgaria and throughout Europe. We are doing additional checks as many tests keep coming out. Some are from renowned companies, where I am almost 100% sure that there will be no faults, because behind them there are years of experience, but there are also complete strangers.

– Have you provided monthly amounts for RHI?

– No, the panorama is quite different in the different RHIs of the country. Morbidity varies from time to time, so we give them limited funds with which they can buy what they need: PCR, rapid tests and the new ones.

– What is the advice of the Chief State Health Inspector for the coming months?

– Let’s continue with what we have tried. We cannot stop the epidemic, but we can keep it within limits that will allow the system to cope and allow people to receive necessary medical care. The preparation is many times greater than at the beginning and as beds and as personal protective equipment and as preparations.



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