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Former federal crown special commissioner Daniel Koch argued at the Swiss Media Forum in Zurich with the usual attractive objectivity. He thinks that the current number of cases is alarmingly high, they must be broken, the current federal measures are therefore correct.
He considers the alarmist forecasts of various task force experts, who constantly advertise overcrowded intensive care hospitals, to be less good, which fortunately has yet to come true. «In a crisis situation you have to be careful with your forecasts. That’s why I’ve always held back a lot, “says Koch. Such predictions are difficult because they are often wrong. Better than forecasting 60,000 deaths, either to signal to hospitals that they have to prepare for the best of their ability.
Viruses tend to get weaker over time
Koch still has a lot of media attention. He identifies with the problem and stays up to date. You are often asked if the virus has weakened. The virus is changing and that is why virologists are always finding new mutations.
However, it is not yet known what effects these changes would have on the genome. It takes patience. “Generally, viruses like this get weaker over time, but they spread more easily.”
It will be easier to fight the pandemic
You can understand that part of the population does not understand the measures, but warns against underestimating the danger of the virus. In the first wave, excess mortality in Ticino and western Switzerland was significantly higher compared to the flu waves. However, Koch disagrees with a pandemic forecast for the next few months: “That would be a guessing game.”
But in the future it will be easier to control the pandemic with new tools such as vaccines and rapid tests. That doesn’t happen by itself, it takes effort. “But in a year or two, the crown will no longer be the big problem,” says Koch. In general, he considers the Swiss approach to the crown crisis to be the correct one, also compared to Sweden, which takes a relatively high risk with its infection strategy.
Advises the media not to sow fear despite the high number of cases. However, overall, the Swiss media landscape has struck the right balance. He himself was not under pressure from the media, he could not complain. Chosen from his ICRC operations in crisis zones, he wanted to avoid war communication about the pandemic. “We were successful.”
The mask is not a panacea
Koch is often criticized for his attitude towards masks, which he described as ineffective in the spring. Here he cannot be disturbed either, although SVP National Councilor Thomas Aeschi has accused him of lying with a mask. At the time there was no scientific evidence for the use of masks, and other experts were skeptical as well. Now there is more clarity, says Koch. But distance and hygiene measures are still decisive, but now it also makes sense to wear a mask. “But the mask is not a panacea.”
Koch is asked, who like Mr. Corona took a measured line, how he should now deal with the abuse from crown skeptics. “If you try to find a balance and represent the measurements in a balanced way, it is normal to be criticized by both sides.” He dealt with crown skeptics, as well as other critics, and listened to everyone. “I am not personally affected.” The fact that some claim there is no coronavirus does not bother him. There are also people who claim that the earth is flat.
