What happens next in view of the Omikron variant in Germany. A virologist makes a prognosis and outlines two alternatives for the Corona summit.
Munich – After the holidays and New Year’s Eve, the number of corona cases in Germany is rising again rapidly. And while Omikron is already the dominant variant in many neighboring countries, experts assume that this will soon also be the case in Germany – and that new infections from the corona variant will again increase significantly. But the virologist and consultant Klaus Stöhr also sees a glimmer of hope in the variant.
In the opinion of the experts, it is possible to use examples such as Denmark and England to estimate what will happen to Germany as a result of the Omikron variant. “We will soon have much higher numbers of infections, but as in other countries there will be a gap between many mild cases and significantly fewer hospital admissions at the same time,” explains virologist Stöhr to Merkur.de. * Because Omikron has a lower likelihood of severe disease. “These scissors lead us back to normal. Because it shows that the virus is doing what we expected, ”said Stöhr.
Omikron in Germany: Virologist with an astonishing prognosis
And the virologist goes one step further. In his opinion, the virus is now adapting to humans, it would multiply less frequently in the lungs and the courses would be milder. This is due to the fact that mild diseases for viruses can be equated with better spread.
The virologist has clear recommendations for action for the corona summit between the federal and state governments on Friday (January 7th, 2022). However, these are dependent on the objective to which politics is committed. “If you want to prevent as many infections as possible, you need more restrictions,” says Stöhr. But he also sees the possibility of not tightening the measures.
Omicron variant: virologist with harsh criticism of corona measures in the summer
“But if you want to prevent difficult progress, that is, to keep hospitals and cemeteries empty, I see no reason for that. The increase in mild courses is decoupled from a higher burden on the hospitals. Even if it could be particularly hard for some voluntarily unvaccinated people, the figures from other countries do not indicate that the clinics are overloaded, ”he explains.
It made sense to slow down the spread of the virus until vaccines were available. However, you still cannot completely prevent severe courses and deaths and infections. The expert is critical of the Corona rules in Germany in the summer of 2021. “But because of the still strict measures last summer, for example, many infections in Germany were only postponed until winter. In a pandemic, however, you can only ever choose between two evils ”. Therefore one has to plan for the long term in order to keep the effects as low as possible. (slo) * Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
List of rubric lists: © Axel Heimken / dpa
