Filzmaier analyzed – “The problem is ignorant doctors and pharmacists”

Peter Filzmaier: Even without the corona pandemic, both of you would have plenty to do in your work as health managers and doctors. How much of your work time should you spend fighting the pandemic in a typical summer week?
Catherine Rich: Two-thirds on average, although this varies from week to week. Nothing works under a 60 hour work week.
Florian Thalhammer: At the start of the pandemic, 100 percent of my work was corona-related, now it’s 80 percent. But there are other priorities. In addition to the fourth vaccination, the focus is now on which medicines we may distribute and administer.

At the beginning of the year, it was discussed whether the government’s strategy was one of contagion. Are we infected now? Is there even an endless spiral of infection, because previous infections hardly protect against new infections?
thalhammer: That’s the wrong question…

Well…?
thalhammer: In the meantime, it doesn’t matter whether there is a search or not, or what we call it, because the herd immunity we initially hoped for does not exist anyway, and infections and corona waves will continue to come.

The consideration for fewer measures was that the milder disease course of the omicron variants would not overload the health care system and the number of sick and dead would be responsible. Are you satisfied with the interim results of this year’s strategy?
Empire: All in all, yes. Because we have managed to strike a balance between how much we have to protect the population and how much we can impose – also legal – restrictions on freedom. Looking back, I think we took the right steps. But of course I am still not satisfied that we still have a pandemic and that people are dying from it.

Even if the comparison is unfair: Sweden, like all other countries, once refused to give a figure as a target for fewer road deaths. Because the goal should always be zero kills, even if you never get there.
Empire: Yes, that’s exactly what I mean.

But in the internal deliberations of the many committees you are a member of, isn’t there a number as a guideline for how many corona deaths are justifiable?
Empire: no, there is no such number. How should this work? We know that deaths are caused by different things and combinations of diseases. Should we just count how many healthy people die, or how many elderly people? That would be incomprehensible.

Mr Thalhammer, another indicator is the overtime in the hospitals, can you handle that in the hospital?
thalhammer: Yes. Much better than last year. By the way, a discussion about the dead is really pointless. Now there are vaccinations and medicines. If the individual patient refuses both, he must accept his possible death. The state is no longer responsible as long as the infection rates don’t endanger our whole lives. They don’t currently.

Politicians usually fail to give clear answers or even simply say yes or no. So I’ll try you. Should the quarantine obligation be abolished in the event of a corona infection? Yes or no?
Empire: It has to be re-evaluated over and over again, and that’s exactly what happens.
thalhammer: no No lifting of the isolation, but those who receive appropriate therapy may leave earlier. However, for this I need an appropriate diagnosis and timely intake of medication. Unfortunately that doesn’t work.

Where are we with the medicines and therapies against Corona?
thalhammer: In theory we are very well positioned. We have two drugs: Paxlovid and Lagevrio. Our problem is that both the patients and the doctors prescribing the drugs need to know this. That’s exactly what doesn’t work. It is completely wrong for a doctor to say to the infected person: “You are not sick enough yet!”. We finally need to use these therapies early and more.
Empire: Yes, we need to get out of inertia. Those patients who need a corona medicine should simply get it faster. On the road to taking medication, the doctor’s consultation and prescription should only be the last step for something that is already in your head anyway. The information must be done in advance.
thalhammer: I do not agree. The problem is less ignorant patients than unfortunately misinformed doctors and pharmacists. Despite our training efforts, too many people know too little, some even contradict a prescription I wrote as an infectiologist. But the positive test result should be enough to get the drug into the pharmacy, where an explanation must also be given. Only against the medical association is up in arms.

Is it about money and competence?
thalhammer: Only for the money lacks the skills.

I meant competence in the sense of competence, not expertise. But do you both agree that medication should be taken as soon as possible, i.e. in the event of an infection, preferably immediately with a positive test result?
thalhammer: Correct. With symptoms and the presence of a positive antigen test – the result comes very quickly – the drug should be taken immediately. Not just after a PCR test, which is not easily available everywhere.

If the vaccination campaign ultimately failed, don’t we need a drug education campaign?
Empire: Yes, and as far as I know this is also being worked out in parallel with a new vaccination campaign.

You will read the second part of the conversation, in particular about the approaching end of the quarantine for infected people, in the “Krone” next Sunday.