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Autumn colds burn.
Although coronary restrictions should slow the spread.
– If it is the case that people have started to relax now, the cases of covid should also increase, says Lars Wesslén, temporary doctor of infection control in Gävleborg
In Blekinge, the fall has started with an unusually high school sickness absence and a record for vab days collection. But it is not covid-19; Instead, more people than usual seem to suffer from the common cold.
– We are seeing a huge increase in infections in society right now, but samples show that it is not covid-19. The problem is that they are difficult to distinguish from covid because there are similar symptoms at first, Blekinge’s assistant infection control physician Olof Blivik tells BLT.
It is common for colds to increase at the beginning of the semester when preschools and schools open and people return to their workplaces. But this fall, many hoped that the corona measures – staying home for symptoms, washing hands and keeping your distance – would curb the cold virus as well.
But that didn’t happen at Blekinge, according to the assistant infection control physician.
– It seems that these cold viruses are more contagious than covid-19. They spread despite hygiene measures and are not affected by restrictions, says Blivik.
Photo: JONAS EKSTRÖMER / TT
Unusually, many people seem to have had a common cold.
It confuses infection control doctors
In both the Gävleborg region and the Stockholm region, the same trend is observed. Decrease in new cases of covid, but increase in colds. Lars Wesslén, a temporary infection control doctor in Gävleborg, doesn’t think the cold virus is more contagious than COVID-19, but is puzzled by the situation.
Yes, and I’ve thought a lot about how it will turn out. The virus is contagious in the same way, so even common colds should subside when we keep our distance.
– And if people have started to relax now, then the covid drops should also increase.
A certain immunity
Why it looks like this, infection control doctors cannot give a sure and clear answer. Maria Rotzén Östlund, an assistant infection control physician in Stockholm, believes the problem is complex and there may be several possible explanations.
Photo: Isabell Höjman / TT
Colds should spread at roughly the same speed as the corona.
Some immunity to covid-19 could be one piece of the puzzle, but also that sampling is now greater than ever.
– Many want to test covid-19 now, indicating that many have symptoms of respiratory infections. But we don’t know if it’s more of a fall virus than usual because we’ve never tried it much before. We have nothing to compare this to. It is possible that we now have fewer autumn viruses than usual, says Maria Rotzén Östlund, who hopes that someone can do more research on the phenomenon.
Could it be that more people can test themselves now than this spring and be told they don’t have COVID-19 and then go back to work and school a little earlier, even though they’re still a bit of a brat?
– It is difficult to know if this is the case. We do not recommend that you leave the house, regardless of the virus you carry, says Maria Rotzén Östlund.
Regardless of the issue, both Maria Rotzén Östlund and Lars Wesslén are happy with the low crown numbers in the regions.
– It is very nice that they are decreasing and that the pandemic has calmed down for now, says Lars Wesslén.
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