As of: 03/25/2022 8:09 p.m
Hundreds of thousands of new corona cases every day – and politicians decide to relax. Is that justifiable? Yes, says the virologist Drosten im daily topics-Interview. However, it is important to remain vigilant and to make adjustments if necessary.
The virologist Christian Drosten has warned against being too careless in view of the far-reaching corona easing. The situation has been defused by the omicron variant and the increasing vaccination protection. However, one should not simply let the situation run its course, said the head of virology at the Berlin Charité im daily topics-Interview. “I think it’s very important that you don’t see this as an unreflective opening and no longer thinking about it, but you have to watch this happening closely. The virus hasn’t become absolutely harmless.”
According to Drosten, easing in the current pandemic situation is fundamentally justifiable. “Of course the basic conditions have changed and of course there are also reasons why measures are now being relaxed.” However, a look at neighboring countries also shows that easing the restrictions, despite the vaccinations and despite the omicron variant, could again lead to an increase in hospitalization. He cited Great Britain and Denmark as examples. It is therefore important to keep a close eye on developments, said Drosten. “And of course we have to make adjustments if necessary.”
“We will keep these high numbers for now”
Drosten pointed out that there is still a high risk, especially for older people: “We are now seeing that older people, those over 65 or 70 years old, are becoming increasingly infected. And that’s where the hospital admissions are hidden in the population , also at Omikron. We just vaccinated poorly in this age group, still.” By next fall, you have to start vaccinating the older population again.
Drosten considers a rapid decline in the currently high number of cases to be unlikely. “Now for the very near future it is certainly the case that we will keep these high numbers in Germany for the time being,” he said. At the moment, the highest incidence of infection can be observed in children of school age – the Easter holidays could therefore bring some calm.
“You have to closely monitor the infection process when the restrictions are relaxed,” says Christian Drosten, Institute for Virology Charité Berlin
daily topics 10:00 p.m., 25.3.2022
“In winter, we’ll take tougher action again”
In the summer it gets warmer. “Then the events will be softened. But it won’t stop completely like last year. That’s my prediction.” With the right measures, however, the infection process can be controlled in the summer: “If we wear a mask indoors, for example, then you can moderate the process in such a way that it doesn’t get out of control.”
Drosten is more pessimistic about the coming winter: “You have to take tougher action, I would expect.” Even if the average patient had milder symptoms as a result of Omikron, significant restrictions on social life can be expected as the number of cases increases.
If necessary, tighten the mask requirement again
In principle, the further course of the pandemic cannot be predicted, said Drosten. The virus will continue to change. “At the moment we don’t know exactly whether it will be an Omicron successor or whether it will be another virus that comes from an older, original diversity. And you have to make a little bit dependent on how you deal with the virus There are adapted omicron-specific vaccines, but we don’t know at the moment whether an omicron-like virus will be circulating at all next winter or another.” The evolution of the virus cannot be predicted.
Drosten said the very contagious Omicron variant had “reshuffled the cards”. “We can no longer expect the vaccination to protect us against transmission, let alone next winter.” It still protects very well against serious illness or death. “So the more health is at stake, the more the vaccination protects. But getting infected at all or transmitting the virus – at Omikron it now protects much less well. And we have to live with that now.” It is therefore important to be able to tighten measures such as the mask requirement again if necessary.