Corona cases increased… Warning came from Ceyhan
Prof. Dr. Mehmet Ceyhan said that the positivity rates in Covid-19 started to increase and said, “Previously, there were 3 to 4 positive tests out of 100 we requested, but now the positivity rate has reached 20 to 30 percent.”
Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Head of Pediatric Infectious Diseases Department, Prof. Dr. Mehmet Ceyhan said that the number of applications to polyclinics with complaints such as fever, sore throat, cough, sneezing and general body pain has increased.
Ceyhan said:
-Many diseases can act this way; However, when you look at it, unfortunately, since there is no screening system in Turkey yet, we cannot distinguish very well how much of these are related to Covid-19, how much of them are flu, and how much of them are colds.
-But what we see is this; Testing patients has become very difficult. Because Ministry of Health It determined the testing criteria in 2020, when the epidemic started. And the disease was severe at that time.
-The symptoms required for a patient to be tested were more easily seen. However, since Covid is milder in healthy people, patients no longer appear in the same situation.
-What’s left is the tests that people pay for and have their own tests done in private laboratories.
‘A SIGNIFICANT PART IS ERIS VARIANT’
Accordingly, Ceyhan stated that the positivity rates are gradually increasing and said:
-While previously there were 3 to 4 positive tests out of 100 we requested, now the positivity rate has reached 20 to 30 percent.
-But we need to do variant analysis to find out how much of these depend on the Eris variant. But in order to do variant analysis, you need to obtain the virus. For this reason, tests have decreased tremendously.
-And therefore we do not do variant analysis. However, Türkiye has the opportunity to do these. It is impossible not to be infected with a virus seen outside in the current, completely careless period.
-So, while we used to take some precautions at the borders and people were allowed into the country through tests, now we do not take any precautions.
-Therefore, the Eris variant definitely exists in Turkey. And we estimate that a significant portion of them are Eris variants.
Ceyhan pointed out that the mutation occurs during transmission and said, “Therefore, the more you allow transmission, the easier it becomes for new virus variants to develop. “And indeed, hundreds of variants have already developed since the beginning of the epidemic,” he said.
‘FLU IS AN EXTREMELY SERIOUS DISEASE’
Ceyhan stated that it is necessary to get rid of the perception that flu is a mild disease and said:
-Neither wars nor earthquakes nor any other disaster can come close to the number of deaths caused by the flu. That’s why flu is an extremely serious disease. It causes around 1 percent of deaths in normal periods and around 3 percent in epidemics.
-It almost always puts you in bed. They confuse the cold with the flu. That’s why they underestimate the flu. It is extremely important to distinguish between the flu and Covid. There is no effective treatment for Covid yet.
-No such drug has been developed to cure Covid. That’s why, when you say Covid, we can use medications such as antipyretics and painkillers completely for the patient’s symptoms. However, there is a very effective treatment for flu.
-Therefore, in order to give that treatment to a patient with flu, you have to show that he has flu. Tests for both these patients are available.
-It can be done in many laboratories in Turkey. Therefore, this opportunity must be provided for citizens. (DHA)
