Covid patients more seriously ill than earlier waves, says ICU doctor

On 3 September 2021, the head of intensive care (ICU) at the Insel Hospital in Bern told the Berner Zeitung that those currently in hospital with Covid-19 are more seriously ill than during previous waves of Covid-19 infection.

Stephan Jakob, head of ICU at the hospital said that of the 7 people currently in intensive care with Covid-19, which include 2 pregnant women and 2 patients under 40, 3 are suffering from organ failure and are receiving breathing assistance. All of them are unvaccinated, he said. These 7 ICU patients are among a total of 27 Covid-19 patients currently in the hospital not far from the centre of Bern. With these 27 patients our ward is 95% percent occupied, said Jakob.

So far, more than 350 Covid-19 patients have been treated in the hospital’s ICU, with a death rate of around 20%, reported 20 Minutes.

More on this:
20 Minutes article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now

For more stories like this on Switzerland follow us on Facebook and Twitter.