Taiwan’s new confirmed cases fell briefly in a single day, and there was another rebound, with more than 40,000 new confirmed cases for two consecutive days, while the Taiwan authorities plan to implement a major unblocking of entry on October 13. A doctor on the island warned that the children's emergency department is now overcrowded, and I am afraid that in winter, there will be major outbreaks in various infected diseases.
On the island Zhongshi News Network reported on September 27 that Xie Zongxue, director of the Children's Emergency Department of the Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen Medical University, Taiwan, had predicted that after Taiwan's epidemic prevention measures were gradually lifted, various infected diseases may emerge in winter. But now he changed his words, "I was wrong. The actual situation is that you don't have to wait until winter. The children's emergency department is now becoming overcrowded."
He also said that the emergency in children's emergency is mainly related to the "immunity debt" accumulated in the high epidemic prevention implemented in the past two years. Various infectious pathogens sealed by masks are spreading between children without resistance. "The gears of repaying debt have begun to rotate!"
In fact, what the doctor said about "immunity debt" is not a new word. Doctors on the island have proposed this concept many times before. It refers to the fact that during the COVID-19 epidemic, in order to prevent infection, people will wear masks, wash their hands frequently, maintain social distance, and get vaccinated to reduce the infection rate of respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases. Perhaps some people have realized that the colds, flu, , and other things that often appear frequently in the past seem to be rarely seen in the past two years.
However, once the epidemic prevention measures are lifted, many people begin to not wear masks, no longer wash their hands frequently, and no longer maintain sufficient social distance. This may lead to the outbreak of some infectious diseases to make up for the previously reduced infectious diseases that have spread between people, such as influenza, colds, etc., which increase. This is the so-called "immune debt", which is similar to the concept of debt repayment.
reported that Dr. Xie Zongxue posted on social media that according to his observations, since the start of school in September, in addition to the new coronary pneumonia, children with severe cough, bronchioles inflammation, and asthma attacks accounted for 3/4 of the emergency department. In addition, influenza has begun to appear sporadically, and the number of patients with gastrointestinal infections has increased significantly recently, and most of them are viral gastroenteritis.
He also said that when there are too many symptoms of infection, it will also cause complications such as pneumonia, encephalitis, , sepsis, etc., leading to a simultaneous increase in such diseases. The rate of extra beds in children's wards has continued to rise, and this phenomenon has not occurred in the past two years. Now, due to the increase in children's patients, the emergency room is crowded with family members and patients, and medical staff are running around.
This situation occurred just as autumn begins. In the future, the lifestyle before the epidemic will gradually be restored, and there will be no compulsory isolation in entry. People's gatherings, holiday trips and other gatherings are frequent. I believe the situation in winter will be even more severe.
talked about how to reduce the probability of children being infected with other viruses and how to deal with this emergency overcrowded situation, the doctor said that coexisting with the virus and returning to normal life at the same time, and correct personal hygiene protection is the correct solution, and the influenza vaccine, new crown vaccine, , etc. that should be given as soon as possible. Although the emergency department is currently overcrowded and the waiting time is greatly extended, this is helpless. I hope parents can wait patiently.
In response to the problem mentioned by the doctor, a reporter interviewed Wang Bisheng, commander of the Taiwan epidemic command center. He said that as coexisting with the new coronavirus becomes normalized, the outpatient and emergency departments of the hospital must gradually return to their pre-epidemic state. The medical response team will make timely adjustments and will provide assistance if medical resources are too scarce.
It seems that the Taiwan authorities are determined to implement the unblocking of entry on the 13th of next month. Even if the number of new confirmed cases exceeds 40,000 per day, even if the outpatient clinics are overcrowded and even if the sequelae occur, in the eyes of the DPP authorities, there is only elections but no so-called epidemic prevention. As Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said at a press conference on the 28th, the new coronavirus has been around for nearly three years, but the DPP authorities have engaged in political manipulation, ignoring the people's urgent need for epidemic prevention, which has seriously damaged the lives, health, safety, interests and well-being of the people in Taiwan.As time goes by, they will surely suffer the consequences of themselves.
