Corona situation
“Omikron is now writing the rules”: Virologist Drosten still sees an end to the pandemic
Christian Drosten, director of the Institute for Virology at the Charité Berlin, is considered one of the leading corona experts in Germany (archive image)
© Michael Kappeler / DPA
Virologist Christian Drosten explained his view of the corona situation in Germany and the world in an interview. He had both good and bad news.
The virologist Christian Drosten is confident that the corona pandemic is nearing its end. As an example, he leads in an interview with the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” England on: There “there will probably be two more waves before the endemic situation. Once again, from Christmas to Easter, many people will be infected again. Then comes a relaxed summer also have to boost it again with the adapted vaccines. Then one can say: The endemic phase has now been reached. ” Doctors call the endemic phase the time when the virus has become a completely normal companion for humans.
According to Drosten, the way there is likely to be “much more difficult” for Germany than it is for England: because of the large number of vaccinations among the older population. “Boosting is important, but there are still far too many unvaccinated people over the age of 60 who have not yet gone through the infection,” Drosten told the newspaper. “If we let the virus run through now, we will have a lot of deaths and full intensive care units. You can’t turn a blind eye to that, that’s why politics is acting.”
1G: Access only for those who have been boosted
When asked whether there was a need for a lockdown in Germany, Drosten said it was necessary to wait and see “whether and how the measures that are now in force and that have been followed up again will work.” If the contact restrictions do not work as hoped, one could, in Drosten’s view, consider restrictions to which only people who have already been boosted have access – what he referred to as “1G”. Twice vaccinated people are protected from severe courses even with Omikron, “but practically not against infection,” said the virologist. Virus transmission in the event of infection is also hardly reduced. “But those who have recently been boosted are likely to contribute less to the spread and are noticeably protected against the disease. At Delta, 2G and 3G may be enough, but now Omikron is writing the rules.”
According to what is known so far, he believes that the contact measures that are currently in force and that have now been followed up made the increase in the number of cases a little slower in this country than in other countries. “In Great Britain and South Africa, the numbers shot up because there were no more control measures.” For example, wearing a mask seems to be “particularly effective”. “Therefore, and because people are also cautious in their private lives, we are better positioned in Germany.”
Christian Drosten worried about the corona situation in China
At the moment, China Drosten is the greatest concern: “Of course, Omikron also comes there. And the vaccine that was used there is poorly effective against this variant. This is a real danger, also for the global economy,” said the head of virology Berlin Charité.
It is still uncertain whether Omikron makes you less seriously ill per se. “The latest studies from South Africa, England and Scotland agree that the weakening of the disease-causing effect is largely due to the increasing immunity of the population,” Drosten told the newspaper.
Sources:“sueddeutsche.de”, DPA.