In Turkey, cases of coronavirus increased in the summer months. Coronavirus Scientific Committee member Prof. Dr. Tevfik Özlü pointed out the increase in the number of deaths by stating that the rate of increase in cases has decreased. “Currently, Omicron has a milder disease compared to the virus last year and the previous year, but unfortunately, especially the elderly, those who have not been vaccinated, or those with chronic diseases, even if they are young, unfortunately, it can still have a severe course and result in death.” said Prof. Dr. Özlü said that there will be an increase in cases like November-December.
ATTENTION TO THE INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF DEATH
Coronavirus Scientific Committee Member and Karadeniz Technical University (KTU) Faculty of Medicine Department of Chest Diseases Lecturer Prof. Dr. Tevfik Özlü pointed out that there was a serious increase in the number of cases after Eid al-Adha, but the rate of this increase has decreased at the moment and drew attention to the increase in the number of deaths. Noting that the number of deaths is expected to increase gradually, Özlü said, “I can say that the number of cases is relatively improving. But unfortunately, the number of deaths is increasing, which is to be expected,” he said.
“THE CASE NUMBER IS NO LONGER IMPORTANT TO ME”
Stating that the increase in the number of Covid cases continues, but the rate of increase has decreased, Prof. Dr. Tevfik Özlü said, “There has been a serious increase in cases after the holiday. Currently, the increase continues, but the rate of increase has decreased. In other words, it was increasing exponentially from week to week, at least that is not the case now. There is a slightly more moderate increase. I can say that there is a relatively good progress in the number of cases. Unfortunately, the number of deaths is increasing, which is expected. Because death occurs within two to three weeks of the disease. Death does not occur immediately after getting sick. Therefore, the death figures we see now are in agreement with the number of cases two or three weeks ago. In that respect, it is not very surprising. The saddest part is that the number of deaths, that is, the number of cases, is not so important to me anymore. It does not reflect the real figure, as most people do not get tested. In this respect, I do not want to dwell on the number of cases, but the number of deaths is important. Currently, Omicron has a milder disease compared to the virus last year and the previous year, but unfortunately, especially the elderly, those who are not vaccinated, or those with chronic diseases, even if they are young, unfortunately can still have a severe course and result in death. We have serious patients that we follow like this, deaths clearly reveal this. In this regard, especially those who have chronic diseases, whether they are old or young, or who are not fully vaccinated, should pay attention to themselves,” he said.
“LIKE NOVEMBER- DECEMBER…”
Pointing out that an increase in Covid-19 cases will be expected again in November-December, Özlü said, “Currently, we see that some increase is limited. I think the peak will complete and go down again. However, an increase like November-December is expected. In general, respiratory infections always increase in the winter months. I think he will watch accordingly.”
prof. Dr. Tevfik Özlü pointed out that the risk continues for the elderly, those with chronic diseases and those who are not fully vaccinated, and said, “The risk continues for the elderly, those with chronic diseases and those who are not fully vaccinated. These people must protect themselves. First of all, I would recommend getting them vaccinated right away. If 6-7 months have passed since the last vaccination, these people should definitely get a new dose of reminder vaccination. They should not stay long in crowded, narrow, stuffy, closed spaces. They should wear their masks properly when entering these places. It is beneficial for them to be careful in this regard, especially for people in this risk group. Of course, it is useful for all of us to be careful, but if you are young, if you do not have a chronic disease, if you are vaccinated at the full dose, you can say, ‘Even if I get sick, I will get through this mildly’. Unfortunately, it may not be so easy for the elderly, those with chronic diseases and those who are not vaccinated. Sometimes we can see severe cases leading to death,” he said.
“THE BENEFITS OF ACTING LIKE THIS JOB IS DONE”
Noting that there may be long-term problems in patients with Covid-19, Prof. Dr. Tevfik Özlü continued his explanations as follows:
“After Covid has had a separate problem, sometimes chronic changes can remain permanent changes, and there can be problems that last quite a long time. In this respect, we have quite a few patients that we follow, and even patients with mild outpatients have problems that persist for months, and there may be shortness of breath. Fatigue can be irritating. We have patients who have permanent damage to the lungs and the oxygen therapy associated with it, who have to take oxygen at home for a long time. It may not always heal completely, but may progress with permanent damage. We have disabled patients, unfortunately, we also have patients who have to live in wheelchairs connected to oxygen cylinders. That’s why I’ll get through it, I’ll get over it mildly, it will come and go, it’s not always possible to say a disease like the flu, we have to take our precautions. As of now, it seems that the peak of increase after the holiday will be completed, I think that we will have a decrease in the coming weeks. The virus continues to circulate among us. Therefore, an increasing trend is expected in Covid-19, as in other respiratory infections during the winter. From that point of view, it is useful not to act as if this is over. If we can keep our distance in the open air, it’s okay. In closed, narrow spaces, such as minibuses, buses, public transportation, one of them is very easy to infect in such environments, so it is useful to be careful and use our mask.”
Source: UAV