The government wants to prove covid-19 as a socially dangerous disease within a couple of months.
At the same time, the restrictions will be lifted this week.
- It's worrying.
I believe that one should have waited a few weeks to ensure that the number of infected became fewer before this decision was made, says Thomas Wallén, hospital manager in Helsingborg.
Covid patients involve extra work
But how is one to understand the concern given that people are no longer as ill with covid-19?
- It is true that people become less seriously ill from omikron.
But there is a risk of downplaying the disease because every patient with covid involves extra work, says Thomas Wallén.
In the clip, you hear Lisa Hassel, a nurse in the intensive care unit in Helsingborg, who is also worried about the consequences of the abolished restrictions.
About fifty patients are currently being treated with covid at Helsingborg's hospital, some of them with a different main diagnosis.
But regardless of whether covid patients have severe or mild symptoms, they require extra resources from the care, according to Thomas Wallén, among other things in the form of extra infection cleaning.
Healthcare staff are redirected
- A covid patient can not lie in a dormitory, and therefore we must always find single rooms.
Staff must wear protective equipment.
This takes up a lot of our resources, at the same time as we have a high level of sick leave among our staff.
Now the restrictions have been lifted, so how do you take into account the possible increase in the number of patients?
- We must continue to change staff.
Administrative staff with care competence can go into care, those who work in outpatient care can go into inpatient care and there will be a lot of overtime shifts, says Thomas Wallén.