The number of people newly infected with COVID-19 keeps rising all across Europe. This has led to many experts, politicians, and members of the public believing the second wave has already started, even though it was originally predicted to occur in autumn or winter. Some politicians admit that the originally imposed restrictions were released too soon. They are now worried people won’t be willing to take any precautions again.
Second Wave Now?
At the beginning of the pandemic, COVID-19 was thought to be a seasonal disease that appears and disappears depending on weather and temperatures like the flu. It now turns out this may not be entirely correct as the number of infected people is already growing fast. Some are, however, convinced that this increase is also partly caused by the originally introduced restrictions being released way too soon. On the other hand, the World Health Organisation warns that COVID-19 may not actually be a seasonal disease and that the world is likely to experience one big wave with occasional increases and decreases in cases.
As for the Czech Republic, the daily increase in infected people is around two hundred. This unsettles especially epidemiologists Roman Prymula and Rastislav Maďar, who have been both warning about the second wave for quite some time now. Roman Pryluma had actually previously warned about the restrictions being loosened too fast and now he criticizes the Health Ministry for acting unorganized. He claims that the way new countermeasures are being introduced will make people lose their trust and willingness to accept them. At the same time, he claims the strict countermeasures from this spring won’t be reintroduced, even though other countries are already doing so. Rastislav Maďar recently accused the Czech government of tackling this problem too irresponsibly, adding that this risky approach might result in many infected and dead.
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What about Autumn and Winter, Then?
If Europe is already experiencing the second wave, what will autumn and winter be like? Experts believe that autumn and winter will be very problematic especially because of the concurrence of the COVID-19 and flu. Some of them warn that the Czech Republic might regularly experience daily increases of 1 000 new cases.
In several countries – for example, Spain or Japan – the biggest problem now seems to be young asymptomatic people who don’t even know where they got infected. That makes tracking of other infected people even more difficult.
Another problem is that the testing capacity for COVID-19 is currently low. Recently the Minister of Health Adam Vojtěch announced that it is possible that not everybody with COVID-19 symptoms will get tested in autumn and winter. The preferred groups of people for testing will be those who are most at risk of complications or dying. In order to avoid this scenario, he is planning to increase the testing capacity of up to 25 000 people per day.
Not Just a Bad Flu
Despite the fact that even young, healthy, and strong people are dying of COVID-19, some people still believe that COVID-19 is not worse than the flu. Only in the USA alone, COVID-19 killed more people than the flu has since autumn, and that was in May – now the death toll is even higher.
According to recent studies, the virus is mutating and permanently damages the lungs of the infected. Some people even need several lung transplants before making a full recovery. On the other hand, it seems that the newer strains also have a lower mortality rate.
Even though it may not seem like it, the purpose of this article is not to scare anyone. It is to warn people against acting irresponsibly and to remind them that it is better to be safe than sorry.
The best thing we can do to protect ourselves and other people are to:
- Follow strict hygiene;
- Avoid crowded places as much as possible;
- Wear a face mask in crowded places and on public transport (at least when feeling ill);
- Use our elbow rather than your hand to cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing.
Following these basic rules is not pleasant, but it is surely better than putting yourself and other people at risk of getting infected, do you agree?
Right now the Czech government isn’t planning on introducing strict countermeasures, nor closing of borders with other countries. On the other hand, it is not yet clear what will happen in autumn or winter as the number of infected people is already rising. Let us know and get your residence permit as soon as possible to be safe in the future in case the pandemic returns in full force. Having a residence permit is the best way of making sure you’ll be able to return to the Czech Republic even if the borders are closed again.
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Sources: Echo24, denikplus.cz, seznamzpravy.cz, aktualne.cz, Reflex, radio.cz, CNN, denikplus.cz II
Source of the image: Pexels.com
