At the Corona summit, the federal and state governments adopt new rules. Leading virologists criticize the measures.
Berlin – Leading experts from the fields of virology and epidemiology have criticized the federal and state contact restrictions only for unvaccinated people. “It is a mistake to exclude contact restrictions for vaccinated people,” said virologist and Stiko member Klaus Überla the editorial network Germany.
Almost half of the symptomatic infections now occur in people who have been vaccinated against corona. “The vaccinated play a significant role in the spread of the virus,” emphasized the virologist.
Corona summit: virologist calls for contact restrictions for vaccinated people
Überla insisted on measures regardless of the vaccination status, as they already exist in professional life: “While we are reducing transmissions at work through home office and hygiene measures, we also need the possibility of imposing contact restrictions for vaccinated people in the private sector.”
However, the Bonn virologist Hendrik Streeck warned: “The contact restrictions carry the risk that unvaccinated people will now withdraw into private life.” Streeck doubted that the contact restrictions in the private sector should be controlled. “We risk transmissions among unvaccinated people who no longer have a reason to be tested, but are excluded by 2G.”
The epidemiologist Hajo Zeeb from the Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology also criticized the lack of verifiability of contact restrictions in the private sector. “It would have been better to impose contact restrictions on everyone, including those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered,” he told the RND. This could be checked more easily and at the same time better ensure a lowering of the infections. Alternatively, a regional regulation depending on the infection rate would also make sense. (epd)
List of rubric lists: © Michael Kappeler / dpa
