It has been widely reported that much of Europe is undergoing a second wave of coronavirus infections with more citizens being diagnosed in some areas than during the height of the first round of infections, which led to widespread lockdowns.
The jump in infections, however, has not translated to an increase in deaths and hospitalizations in most cases, which are seen by many health officials to be the true benchmark for evaluating the disease and the public health risk.
Many factors can be at play here. The virus could be mutating, and, while it is more contagious, it may also be less deadly. Presumably, those getting tested in March and April, when the world was first being introduced to the virus, were exhibiting far worse symptoms at the time of their diagnosis than those being tested now.
Dr. Yazdan Yazdanpanah, Head of the Infectious Disease department at Bichat-Claude Bernard Hospital in Paris, told The New York Times that the number of hospitalizations in the country seemed to slow because many elderly and the at-risk public are taking the proper precautions. He said doctors are also making gains in the early treatment for patients, for example, by increasing “high-flow oxygen” to patients before they need intubation.
TRENDPOST: As we have detailed in this and other issues of the Trends Journal, virus cases do not equal deaths, and the main reason virus case are rising is because more people are getting tested.
