Nobody knows what the pandemic situation will be like in six months. Instead of talking about new horror scenarios, Karl Lauterbach should make sure not to waste the summer again.
After more than two years of the pandemic, every expert should have realized how important calm, stringent communication is for the population to accept the pandemic measures. Health Minister Karl Lauterbauch should also know by now that speculation about a “killer variant” that could afflict the world next winter is absolutely unsuitable for urging people to be careful and cautious – or even to convince them to get vaccinated.
On the contrary: Lauterbach’s image of the alarmist permanent warner is solidifying, even the most sensible people switch to draught. It would help more, after two wasted summers, to prepare well for possible scenarios in winter, at least this time. The necessary expertise for this is now available in the Ministry of Health, but also through the Corona Expert Council.
Early warnings of horror winter
Of course, it is quite possible that there will be new variants of the corona virus again in autumn and winter. The fact that other respiratory diseases will affect more people again in the cold season is also nothing new.
But how contagious a new version of Sars-CoV-2 could be, how seriously ill it makes you if a large part of the population has already been in contact with the virus through vaccination or infection, there is still no remotely scientifically based information. Just as it was impossible for anyone to predict that the overall milder omicron variant would come after Delta, it is now possible to make statements about the pandemic situation in six months.
What responsible politicians like Karl Lauterbach should do: give people the security that this time they will think about how to react to the next wave of the pandemic in a meaningful way. But you should always communicate with an open mind: It is also possible that there will be no new Corona horror winter at all.