Virologist Hendrik Streeck criticizes the RKI for the procedure in the corona pandemic. Don’t make the same mistakes you made last year.
Cologne – The number of corona cases is still at a high level. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) has reported an increase in the seven-day incidence for the second day in a row. The nationwide incidence on Friday (03/04/2022) is 1196.4. In order to prepare the Federal Republic for a possible next corona wave, virologist Hendrik Streeck called for “large-scale studies and a better monitoring system”. Specifically, this involves wastewater data, among other things.
In an interview with the Kölnische Rundschau, the virologist from Bonn sharply criticized the RKI. Streeck has repeatedly proposed so-called sentinel studies with regular tests of representative population groups. “Sentine surveys are an active tool based on the voluntary cooperation of the actors involved” for monitoring epidemiological situations, the RKI wrote on its website. Corresponding proposals for the corona pandemic are already on the table, Streeck said in an interview with the newspaper.
| Hendrick Streeck | |
|---|---|
| date and place of birth | August 7, 1977 in Goettingen |
| Since October 2019 | Director of the Institute for Virology and HIV Research at the Medical Faculty of the University of Bonn |
| Since December 2021 | Member of the Corona Expert Council of the Federal Government |
Streeck criticizes RKI: There are no alternative solutions
“I don’t understand why the RKI always feels like it only warns and doesn’t take such or other solutions,” criticized the doctor, who has been a member of the Federal Government’s Corona Expert Council since the end of 2021. “We must not make the same mistakes as we did last spring: all experts warned of the next wave in autumn, and we spent the summer as if the pandemic was over,” Streeck continued in the Kölnische Rundschau.
The Bonn virologist distanced himself from warnings from Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD). Lauterbach had spoken of a return of the delta mutant in February. “The Delta variant is currently changing. It is quite possible that we will be dealing with a mutated delta type in autumn. ”Charité virologist Christian Drosten also pointed out a possible mixture of the delta and the omicron mutant in January.
Streeck distances himself from Lauterbach: “Permanent warnings are not on the agenda”
Streeck “ticks” differently, he said in an interview with the Kölnische Rundschau. “The constant warning of possible super variants or other possible catastrophes is not on my agenda.” Even if such a mutation in viruses is possible, “our life cannot be geared towards the extremes.” In this respect, there are differences Streeck from the Minister of Health. “Omicron has a transmission advantage over Delta. Delta is being displaced by vaccination, it has no survival advantage over Omikron,” explained Hendrik Streeck, referring to “Deltakron”.
An internal situation report by the RKI showed that an endemic had not yet been reached. We are currently in a “transition phase”. According to the RKI, a new corona wave in autumn 2022 is “firmly” to be expected. The news portal Welt published the report. According to Lauterbach, the omicron wave has so far been “managed well,” the SPD politician shared on Twitter. “The basis was: don’t dramatize danger and don’t underestimate it.” (kas)
