A year (almost) without corona measures: a summary

Corona? Was there something?

For many people, the two pandemic years are still a long way off. You still sporadically see people wearing face masks and supporters and opponents of protective measures are still making noise on social media. But the waves of outrage have abated as well as the waves of infection.

On February 17, 2022, the Bundesrat had lifted most of the measures, especially the obligation to obtain a certificate. Until the end of March, there was still a mask obligation, especially in public transport, and self-isolation after contamination. After that, the “special situation” came to an end. Switzerland returned to normal socially and politically.

The Federal Council’s decision to trigger the exit during the cold season was a risk. A few weeks earlier, things had looked critical again in many intensive care units. The highly contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus, which emerged in southern Africa in November, caused an increase in hospital admissions.

However, with Omikron, the virus has also lost its greatest terror, although there have been repeated waves of infection and many have become infected. Long-term consequences cannot be ruled out, but so far the experts who assume that the virus loses its “penetrating power” with each mutation seem to be right.

Even scientists, who have always insisted on vigilance, are cautiously giving the all-clear. Think of the Berlin star virologist Christian Drosten or his Geneva colleague Isabella Eckerle. “In my opinion, the transition from pandemic to endemic is largely complete,” she wrote in a lengthy Twitter thread in early February.

It says a lot about the current situation that the main focus is on damage caused by mRNA vaccines. You are a problem. The drug authority Swissmedic has so far counted about 6,000 serious side effects in Switzerland. However, this is offset by approximately 17 million vaccine doses administered.

In other words: the benefits of the corona vaccination far outweigh the risks. It has saved millions of people from death or serious illness. I myself have not regretted any of my four vaccinations. The vaccines developed in record time are a triumph of science. We probably don’t even want to know where we would be without them.

You get a hint if you look at China, the suspected country of origin of Sars-Cov-2. There, the state stuck to its zero-Covid policy for a long time and neglected vaccination protection. Since the abrupt lifting of all measures in early December, hundreds of thousands of people have probably died despite the omicron.

Strong immune protection, whether through vaccination, infection or, as experts say, preferably a combination of both, is key to keeping us out of the loop. The opponents of vaccinations and corona measures, who have twice held – and lost – referendums against the Covid-19 law, also want to look ahead.

The list of corona skeptics in the elections in Zurich received more than two percent of the vote. But the third referendum against the Covid law is stalled. According to the website of the “Friends of the Constitution”, six weeks before the end of the collection period, not even half of the targeted 60,000 signatures has been collected.

Health Minister Alain Berset praised the “large, quiet majority” a year ago. It is thanks to her that Switzerland, with a mixture of luck and common sense, has not always been able to prevent an escalation, but has always been able to do so. Many would now like to forget about the pandemic, but that’s not the best idea for a number of reasons.

Because not all consequences have been addressed yet. Think of Long Covid, the serious after-effects of a disease about which much is still unknown. This includes the excess mortality in the year 2022, if no measures are taken. Covid-19 will have played a role here, because the elderly in particular have become weakened by an infection.

However, the end of protective measures has also led to a “return” of other viruses such as flu and RSV. The situation in the hospitals was and is sometimes tense, aggravated by a real “flight movement” of the nursing staff. It would be interesting to know what role stress plays in this during the pandemic.

“We have learned a lot, but we still don’t know everything,” said Federal President Ignazio Cassis a year ago when the gradual return to normality was announced. This finding still holds. It would be desirable if politicians provided clarity in advance about the management of the pandemic and not least about the omissions.

Parliament should not only be concerned with investigating the corona leaks of the Berset department. A comprehensive review of the federal and cantonal approach is imperative, not least to be better prepared the next time new dangerous pathogens emerge. Because they certainly will.

“The most important decisions in the fight against the next pandemic will be made now (or not),” virologist Isabella Eckerle wrote on Twitter. The question is whether the will is there. Or that politicians just want to forget about the pandemic.