It starts again everywhere, the coughing and sniffling. According to reports from the Robert Koch Institute, the number of respiratory diseases is increasing, and corona tests are in greater demand again, explained the Munich Clinic. The increase in corona infections can also be seen in the statistics of the Divi intensive care register on the occupancy of intensive care beds, which the State Office for Health and Food Safety (LGL) updates on its homepage for Bavaria. Accordingly, the number of intensive care beds occupied by corona patients rose from a single-digit or low double-digit value in late summer to more than 150 in November. However, the numbers are far below those of 2021, when more than 1,000 intensive care beds were occupied by Covid patients at the same time of year.
The Munich Clinic, which claims to be the second largest municipal clinic network in Germany, is currently caring for around 60 corona patients, including a single-digit number in intensive care and monitoring wards. The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in adults is sometimes underestimated when it comes to colds, it said. The clinic experts are relying on new vaccinations here. “As of this year, we have two new vaccination options against RSV. This is all the more important since there is no specific therapy against the virus,” says Marcus Krüger, head physician of the children’s intensive care units at the Munich Clinic Schwabing and Harlaching.
“Older people can protect themselves effectively with the new active vaccination. This is important for pediatric medicine because the grandparents’ generation will then no longer be a source of infection for infants.” The vaccine was approved for pregnant women in Europe in the summer. The antibodies produced by the mother also protected the child, especially in the weeks after birth. If the vaccination options were used, he is confident that in about five years RSV will no longer be as severe as it has been recently, says Krüger.
Last year in particular, small children aged up to six months were severely affected. However, figures from the USA showed that RSV can also be dangerous for adults. Around 177,000 adults with RSV were hospitalized there in 2022, and 14,000 of them died. Older people aged 60 and over belong to the risk groups for RSV as well as for influenza and Corona. Experts recommend vaccination.
For influenza, there is a special vaccine for people over 60. Hand hygiene and wearing masks also help. “Even if we are no longer in a pandemic situation, Covid-19 and its various sub-variants are still circulating strongly. In Germany, the Eris variant currently dominates, in other countries the Pirola variant,” said Wolfgang Guggemos, senior physician in infectious diseases the Munich Clinic Schwabing. Other variants currently circulating are JN1 and, now in the USA, the variant HV1, a “grandchild” of Omicron. According to the findings, all variants did not lead to severe disease more often, and vaccinations provided good protection. In addition to respiratory symptoms, diarrhea, swelling in the mouth or skin rashes could indicate an infection with the new variants.