Christian Drosten assesses the current pandemic situation positively in the new edition of the NDR podcast "Coronavirus Update".
When it comes to rapid tests, he appeals to politicians.
Christian Drosten
assessed the current situation
in the
NDR podcast "Coronavirus Update"
.
Although the
development
is positive, the
decline in new infections
is not yet sufficient.
The virologist also calls for
rapid introduction of rapid tests
.
Virologist Christian Drosten
spoke
about the current
pandemic situation
in Germany
in the new edition of the
NDR podcast "Coronavirus Update"
- and gave the developments in new infections a positive rating.
"That looks good," said
Drosten when
asked by
NDR presenter
Korinna Hennig whether the measures to contain the
corona virus
are working.
"We're seeing a slight decline, that's nice."
However, the question is whether the decline will happen quickly enough.
At the moment, the numbers have not fallen enough to relieve the hospitals.
Before the upcoming Corona summit by Chancellor Angela Merkel and the prime minister of the federal states, the virologist suggests that
stricter measures would probably result in better results
.
Partial lockdown: Drosten compares Germany with Ireland
As an example, he cited Ireland, which is considered a model for the current partial lockdown * in Germany.
However, “things differ in the details,” like a very
strict rule for working from home
.
“It's different with us and you have to look at more details now.”
Public transport has
also been greatly reduced in Ireland, “we have implemented it differently”.
Drosten
also commented on
rapid
tests
called
antigen tests
, which do not
detect
the genetic makeup of the
virus
, but the proteins.
For example, symptom-independent mass screening, as in Slovakia, is unsuitable for the situation in Germany, since antigen tests * are less sensitive than
PCR tests
.
With the currently prevailing infection process there are too many false positive results.
There are also not enough tests for around 83 million people, said
Drosten
.
Corona pandemic: Drosten calls for the rapid introduction of antigen tests
However,
antigen tests
could be very useful in certain areas, for example in nursing homes, the expert found.
If you let relatives test you before visiting - with or without symptoms - and the result is negative, “you can assume that there is simply no virus there,” says
Drosten
.
The Charité virologist emphasizes, however, that a negative test does not necessarily result in a negative result the next day.
You have to get tested again to be on the safe side.
Nevertheless,
antigen tests belong to the future
in combating the corona * pandemic.
"I believe that
antigen tests are
a very important new tool." You now have to "move forward as quickly as possible so that you can get them into use, on the streets" before the winter wave is over.
“You have to use it now,” warns
Drosten
.
Drosten: All corona vaccines "surprisingly efficient"
However, the
virologist warned against false information
regarding the accuracy and performance of the tests *.
The enclosed information was based solely on information provided by the manufacturer.
Tests
are considered a medical device, not a drug.
Therefore they are not subject to any government inspection.
According to the
Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices
, 200 antigen tests are currently approved across Europe.
Drosten described the latest success reports in vaccine research as "very good news".
All vaccines are "surprisingly efficient," said the virologist.
Most recently, the British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, which works with Oxford University, reported that the
vaccine
they had developed
offers an average of 70 percent protection.
mRNA vaccine: Drosten takes people's worries away
However, one has to wait for more data.
The advantage is that the AstraZeneca vaccine * is cheap compared to other substances, can be kept for months at refrigerator temperature and many doses can be made.
“I've read, this year in the range of 100 million and next year then three billion cans that can be delivered.
That is of course a huge amount, "enthused Drosten.
Concerns of people that mRNA vaccines - such as those from Biontech * or Moderna - could change the genome of the vaccinated are not appropriate.
"The mRNA is not integrated into the cell's own DNA, but is only used to produce the protein, and this protein production runs out at some point, so mRNA is broken down," explained
Drosten
.
(mt) * Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network.