- In the summer, more people catch colds
Coughs and colds, just when it's summer? According to data from the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK), tens of thousands of people in Baden-Württemberg are affected. Every fourth one of the record-breaking many sick days since January was due to respiratory infections. "The current June figures show that the sickness rate due to colds has even increased compared to May," said Nadia Mussa, head of the TK regional office in Baden-Württemberg. "This suggests a summer wave that was not observed last year."
The reasons for this are speculative from TK's perspective: "The risk of infection is generally higher where many people are in close proximity," said Mussa. This applies to the UEFA European Football Championship with its public viewings, as well as open-air concerts. In addition, June in Baden-Württemberg had both warm periods and cooler phases with a lot of rain, which, according to virologists, promotes the spread of pathogens.
On average, TK-insured employees in Baden-Württemberg were absent for 2.1 days due to coughs, colds, or flu between January and June. Nationwide, the average was 2.3 days.
Overall, the number of sick days reached a peak: On average, TK-insured employees were absent for 7.9 days, which is even longer than the previous record of 7.75 days in the first six months of last year. For comparison: Before the COVID-19 pandemic, insured persons were absent for an average of 6.5 days in the first half of 2019.
The figures are based on the TK Health Report evaluations, which use data from around 5.7 million TK-insured employed persons, of which more than 600,000 live in Baden-Württemberg.
Despite the summer season, respiratory infections, including coughing, have led to an increase in sick days for many individuals in Baden-Württemberg. This trend was further highlighted in the June data, suggesting a potential summer wave of such infections, unlike last year.
