The expert: That's why everyone has a cold right now
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Loading... - Richard Patterson
- 07 Sep 2022
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Part of the explanation lies in the unexpectedly large spread of covid
- There is an unusual amount of covid now in relation to the time of year. During previous pandemic years, we have not had as much spread of covid as is now being reported, explains Professor Niklas Arnberg.
After the first school days of the autumn term, the colds come. It's as sure as gnats in February. But this year, if possible, it has been extra clear. Every other family with small children is currently sitting at home with runny noses, fever and cough. Niklas Arnberg, who is professor of virology at Umeå University, says that many of the colds can be explained by a large spread, primarily covid, but also some other viruses.
- There is an unusual amount of covid now in relation to the time of year. In previous pandemic years, we have not had as much spread of covid as is now being reported. This can be seen partly from the test results from those who tested themselves and partly from the amount of viruses in the waste water.
- You can also see the increased spread in the fact that relatively many are hospitalized with covid despite the time of year and despite the fact that many are vaccinated. Last week, around 100 people were hospitalized with covid in the Västra Götaland region. In the Stockholm region, around 250 have been hospitalized with covid recently. Not all of them are in ICU, but they are hospitalized.
Why is it so widespread right now?
- It is a bit difficult to say, but it may have to do with the fact that we have a new variant, omikron, which is more contagious. We may also not be as careful about keeping our distance as we were before. There has certainly been a pent-up need to socialize and travel, which may have contributed to the fact that we had a lot of infection during the summer. Now the schools have started and many are back from holidays, which means that we are indoors more, which can also contribute.
How many of the colds can be assumed to be covid?
- There is a lot of coronavirus, but it is difficult to say whether it is 30 or 80 percent that is covid. In any case, we know that at the moment we do not have very much RS virus and influenza, we have very little of it right now if you compare it to last year at this time. But of course we have some of the classic cold viruses, which are called rhinoviruses, so it is not possible to say that all children have covid, some probably have cold viruses as well. Read More…
