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The official fight against the uncontrolled spread of the coronavirus with strict measures has had positive effects for days. Again on Wednesday, there were no new infections with the virus in Basel.
Since mid-April, what has been preached in a continuous cycle has also been successful: the curve of the number of cases and that of new infections has flattened significantly. As of Tuesday morning, Basel-Stadt had a total of 970 Corona cases, of which 894 people are already cured. That is more than 90 percent. The Basel area currently has 837 cases and 789 healed. Again, there have been no new positive results in the past two days.
Corona: the case numbers in Basel-Stadt
Corona: the number of cases in Baselland
Consequently, Basel Cantonal Physician Thomas Steffen is cautious but positive: “Therefore, it can be assumed that the first relaxation step on April 27 has so far not had a direct and unfavorable influence on the course of new infections ” However, this finding must be interpreted with explicit reluctance: “You must be very careful at this time and carefully monitor future development in the coming months, especially after the relaxation steps.” With the renewed relaxation measures, a “certain” increase in numbers is likely to be expected, Steffen said. “However, you can only feel around here with the necessary caution so that this increase remains moderate.”
Normalizes everyday life, limits the virus to the maximum
According to Steffen, how and if the situation will subside depends largely on how well the population handles the relief steps. “The challenge is to return to a normalized daily life that is appropriate to the circumstances and at the same time hinder the spread of the virus.” Basel epidemiologist and pandemic expert Marcel Tanner also argued Tuesday in an interview with bz.
Cantonal doctor Steffen is also pointing to a ray of hope, albeit with severe restrictions: “If we can do this, as well as the implementation of the first measures with an increase in the number of cases, the situation should also stabilize in the long term” .
Consequently, the situation in the health system has slightly eased. However, the University of Basel Hospital, in particular, is ready to immediately restart its capacity for crown cases if the situation worsens.
Measure cutting capabilities in the university hospital
“Since we did not increase the overcapacity due to Corona and started gradually, we can now gradually go into a kind of normal operation,” says Nicolas Drechsler, a spokesman for the university. However, it should be noted that due to general protective measures, such as keeping a distance, the hospital is currently only operable at around 80 percent of normal capacity. In addition, the university hospital must keep resources on hold to be able to intervene again if the number of new infections increases again. This means that many interventions must be scheduled according to priority.
A little more calm is also coming to the testing center at Basler Predigerkirche. To date, 9,000 people have been screened for the Corona infection, and about 9 percent tested positive. The number is much higher than the number of cases in Basel-Stadt, as many additional cantons were also tested in the Predigerkirche. With 60 to 80 people currently visiting the testing center every day, the university hospital is rethinking church wait times. “But it is clear that the trial operation will continue for the time being,” says Drechsler: “The facility should be understood as a buoy that warns us of the upcoming tsunami.”
