Corona: Hendrik Streeck thinks Germany is unprepared for winter

Corona pandemic
Virologist Hendrik Streeck: “Unfortunately we are again going into autumn and winter very unprepared”

From the point of view of the virologist Hendrik Streeck, Germany is insufficiently prepared for the next pandemic months. “Unfortunately we are going again very unprepared in autumn and winter,” said the director of the Virology Institute at the University of Bonn of the German Press Agency. “I am not relaxed about it: The capacities in intensive care units are reduced, we can also expect a flu epidemic again if necessary, we do not have a good record of the infection process, but again greater mobility.” With the wide range of free rapid tests, there was a good mainstay for detecting infections, emphasized Streeck. He believes that it is wrong to do without it.

Streck does not consider a wide range of booster vaccinations to be necessary

“You can’t give the advice about vaccination often enough,” said Streeck. The reported infections in vaccinated people are also not an argument against it. “The primary goal of vaccine development was not to trigger an immune response that would protect against any infection. It was always about protecting against severe disease.” Because of so-called breakthrough infections, one can in no way speak of a failure of the vaccines.

Streeck does not currently consider it necessary to expand the range of third-party vaccinations to the general population. “Boosters are useful for the groups to whom this is already recommended,” for example immunocompromised people and people over 70. “After the second vaccination, everyone else is usually very well protected from a severe course. More important than refreshments for them is closing the Vaccine picking for those over 60 years of age. ” The vaccination doses are also needed more urgently in other countries.

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DPA