Accusation of the Federal Council – University Hospital defends itself: “30 percent are patients outside the canton” – News

• Those responsible for the University Hospital in Zurich defend themselves against accusations by the Federal Council that the hospital shows little solidarity with the hospitals in French-speaking Switzerland.
• The University Hospital is currently treating 21 Covid patients in an intensive care unit, six of them from other cantons, Executive Director Gregor Zünd said at a press conference, namely from Geneva, Vaud, St. Gallen and Zug. .
• In the second wave, the university hospital would treat up to 30 percent of patients outside the canton.
• In order to treat Covid patients, the university hospital has reduced elective interventions. Five of the 33 operating rooms have been closed.

Compared to the first wave, they also noticed some changes, said Peter Steiger, deputy director of the Institute of Intensive Care Medicine. They treated a total of 64 “Covid-19 patients” during the second wave. In the first wave it was 50. However, there is still enough capacity, emphasized CEO Gregor Zünd.

More patients, fewer deaths

The care of Covid 19 patients in general wards has improved, for example, thanks to new drugs such as remdesivir, Peter Steiger emphasized. Therefore, fewer patients would have to be cared for in the intensive care unit than during the first wave. “He gets less seriously ill and recovers faster.” Mortality is also lower and is less than ten percent.

But Steiger did not hide potential supply bottlenecks in the future: “The more patients that come in, the more staff it takes who were not previously active in intensive care.” This does not facilitate treatment as it is time consuming.