The fourth corona wave is still rolling through the country – the next is already looming, warns Karl Lauterbach. The government wants to prevent the worst with fast boosters.
Frankfurt / Berlin – The spread of the Omikron variant of the coronavirus * worries the federal government. B.1.1.529 is considered to be significantly more contagious than previous Corona variants. In addition, it is feared that the currently approved corona vaccines * do not protect against Omikron as well as against the Delta variant. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday (December 14th, 2021), the Omikron variant has already been detected in 77 countries and is likely to spread in almost all other countries.
Germany must prepare for a “massive fifth wave” because of the Omikron variant, said Health Minister Karl Lauterbach * on Friday (December 17, 2021) in front of the press in Hanover. If infections with the omicron variant actually had a milder course, as some researchers suspect based on initial findings, this would perhaps keep the number of deaths low for two or three weeks. Due to the strong growth in new corona infections, this advantage was quickly used up, said the SPD politician *. The upcoming wave will be a “massive challenge” for hospitals, but also for society as a whole, emphasized Lauterbach.
Omikron variant: “Biggest current threat to global public health”
An attempt must therefore now be made to push back the wave. In this context, Lauterbach reiterated his call for a comprehensive booster campaign. Corona vaccines are not a “miracle weapon”, explained Lothar Wieler, President of the Robert Koch Institute, on Thursday. Not only Germany, but also Great Britain * and Denmark, which had previously abolished most of the statutory corona rules, are now re-introducing measures *.
The Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced due to the Omikron spread, to close cinemas, theaters and concert halls. Accordingly, a new all-time high of more than 11,000 new corona infections within 24 hours was registered in Denmark on Friday (December 17th, 2021). According to British experts, Omikron surpasses anything that has so far been observed in the entire pandemic.
The health ministers of the G7 countries have classified the Omikron variant as the “greatest current threat to global public health,” as they announced on Thursday. The EU countries rely on rapid booster vaccinations in the fight against B.1.1.529. Also in the USA * President Joe Biden * warned of a “very rapid” spread of Omikron. He urged citizens to get vaccinated or boosted. He predicted “a winter with serious illnesses and death” for the unvaccinated.
Omicron variant: Corona vaccinations probably prevent further serious illnesses
In South Africa, where the Omikron virus variant was first discovered *, the health authorities recorded the highest number of new infections every day since the pandemic began. The number of hospital admissions is growing “not at such a dramatic rate,” said Michelle Groome of the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) at a press conference. “We’re starting to see a few increases, but relatively small increases in deaths.” The number of patients who need oxygen is also lower than before. In addition, they seemed to have to stay in the hospital for a shorter time than during previous corona waves.
But the observations did not mean that Omikron was less dangerous, but rather that the corona vaccinations prevented serious illnesses, said Health Minister Joel Phaahla. The lower hospitalization and death rates are “likely to be due to significant vaccination coverage,” especially among the elderly.
In South Africa, only around 31 percent of the population are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. For people over 60 years of age, however, the vaccination rate is 66 percent. (lrg / afp / dpa) * fr.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
List of rubric lists: © Jonas Walzberg / dpa
