Coronavirus | “Elderly people are fragile” – Experts tell how people in risk groups should act when Corona is raging

Corona pandemic booming in Finland again. There are more and more cases of infection, and the number of corona patients requiring hospital treatment is increasing.

Infections may occur even more than at the peaks of previous waves, Hus’ chief infectious disease doctor Asko Järvinen rated for HS earlier this week.

Those in the risk group of the coronavirus are still in a particularly fragile position, and that also arouses concern in them. Risk groups include, for example, people suffering from various diseases and the elderly. The risk of serious corona disease increases significantly after the age of 70even if the person is basically healthy.

From the worst pandemic years, Finns remember masks, safety distances and limiting contacts. Elderly people in particular were recommended to protect themselves.

However, the situation is different now, because the disease is milder, vaccines provide protection and, in addition, there is a corona drug in use, says the head doctor in charge of the infection control unit Mari Kanerva From the welfare area of ​​actual Finland.

Those who end up in hospital are typically elderly people with fever and impaired general health.

On heather however, there are a few practical instructions for people in risk groups and their loved ones.

First of all, elderly people should get vaccinated now, he says. Vaccinations do not protect against infection, but they provide protection against the severe form of the coronavirus.

Secondly, a family with children with a flu should not visit the grandparents now, but wait until all family members are symptom-free.

In addition, if you have just attended a large party where the risk of exposure is higher, it may be wise to limit meetings with people in risk groups, says Kanerva.

So the so-called universal mask recommendation is history. According to Kanerva, a person with symptoms should still wear a mask to avoid infecting others.

In the welfare area of ​​Varsinais-Finland, it was also recently decided that home care staff wear a mask when visiting the elderly, says Kanerva.

The use of masks has also been recommended at vaccination points, because there are many people belonging to risk groups there.

The coronavirus has been a reality in serviced housing and round-the-clock care since the beginning of the pandemic. Nursing homes have loosened and tightened their infectious disease measures for almost four years now, says the head physician of the Helsinki hospital Laura Pikkarainen.

“There is always an instruction in force. Corona has not been forgotten even once,” says Pikkarainen about everyday life in nursing homes.

The most recent corona guidelines in service buildings and senior centers are from the end of September. The guidelines emphasize the absence of symptoms: there is no need to go to work, let alone visit, if you have symptoms. Good hand hygiene should be taken care of.

If a nursing home resident gets sick and develops symptoms, precautionary measures follow. The resident is treated with face shields and protective clothing. He will be kept away from other residents for at least five days, Pikkarainen lists.

Pandemic I remember the strict bans on visiting nursing homes from the early years. There is no going back to them, says Pikkarainen.

“The residents who died then had to die without their relatives. It was very sad.”

In the first year of the pandemic, 2020, visitor restrictions were used to prevent the spread of the disease in a new and aggressive manner in nursing homes. Now that the disease is better known and the disease picture is milder, there is no need for complete isolation, Pikkarainen says.

“However, it should be noted that isolation also has negative health effects in the life of an elderly or seriously ill person,” writes the chief physician of the Institute of Health and Welfare (THL) by email Tuija Leino.

According to Leino, working together and doing hobbies are important things in a person’s life. With your own precautions, you can only prevent some infections.

According to Leino, a person in a risk group can reduce their risk somewhat by using a mask and good hand hygiene if they have not yet received the vaccine.

“Nobody can isolate themselves throughout the winter,” says Leino.

Quickie estimates that the corona virus is here to stay despite vaccinations and precautions. Those who have to be hospitalized are still mostly elderly people.

“Vaccinations are a good thing and prevent serious forms of disease, but worse infections or mild forms of disease. An elderly person is fragile. In this fall’s wave, I have thought that we will probably see the same thing every fall.”

Corona infections preventing the spread in the time after strict restrictions is largely the people’s own responsibility. Kanerva estimates that it can sometimes be forgotten by citizens.

“That doesn’t necessarily come to mind in everyday life. A person with the flu may go to the store in a hurry to stop. Once you get rid of the masks, no one wants to hear about them anymore.”