Only symptomatic people should be tested, and only by doctors, Niedermoser told the APA. 66 tests per thousand inhabitants per day make Austria the “test world champion”, but “they have not contributed to any improvement in the situation,” says the pathologist. He no longer allows himself to be tested privately.
He doesn’t want to blame anyone, because “in hindsight you’re always smarter”. But it is important to learn from the mistakes. Countries like Germany or Sweden have tested significantly fewer with four or two tests per day per thousand inhabitants, but the death rate in those countries is better than in Austria. “Neither did the wave movement change as a result of the testing, nor did the large number of tests have an impact on the number of deaths,” says Niedermoser, who is based on a paper by the Upper Austrian state crisis team.
False security
Large-scale mass tests or the “everything gurgles” project in Vienna would only contribute to false security. More than two billion euros that have been spent on public tests so far are no longer justified. According to Niedermoser, tests should only be carried out by a doctor. He does not see the danger that symptomatic people – others should refrain from testing in the future – would infect someone in the doctor’s office. “First of all, you should call the doctor anyway, wear a mask on site, and wait in the waiting rooms of surgeries and hospitals in separate areas.”
Common hygiene measures and masks are still a tried and tested way to protect yourself against infection, but he also understands people who would do without them. “With the current infection process, everyone has to decide for themselves where and when to wear a mask,” says Niedermoser.
Source: Nachrichten
