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Fourth corona wave? Lauterbach warns and admits: "Underestimated the Indian variant"

2021-05-15T02:50:11.709Z


The current number of corona cases in Germany encourages a “more normal” summer. Nevertheless, SPD politician Karl Lauterbach warns of a fourth wave. And looks admonishingly to Great Britain.


The current number of corona cases in Germany encourages a “more normal” summer.

Nevertheless, SPD politician Karl Lauterbach warns of a fourth wave.

And looks admonishingly to Great Britain.

Berlin - Summertime is travel time. Usually. But even in Corona times, hopes for vacation trips are nourishing. Even Karl Lauterbach - admonisher in the crisis - thinks this is possible: “The numbers are developing very positively. Nothing stands in the way of a relaxed summer with significant loosening if we are not careless, "said the SPD politician of the

Rheinische Post

(Thursday edition). These travel rules currently apply to Germany.

Nevertheless, the worst is still not over, even if the third corona wave could be broken.

“In order to prevent a fourth wave in autumn, we have to take precautions, especially for those returning to travel,” added Lauterbach, thus blowing the same horn as virologist Hendrik Streeck.

Because despite the advancing vaccination campaign in Germany, the 58-year-old sees a problem.

At least 20 percent of the population could be without protection because they cannot or do not want to be vaccinated.

Hence his demand: strict tests at the airports for travelers returning and a quarantine for those who come from mutation areas.

At least until you pass your negative test.

Lauterbach: "Numbers are developing positively" - fourth wave must be prevented

He is worried about the spread of the Indian Corona variant in Great Britain. Although the vaccination campaign is progressing rapidly there, the proportion of variant B.1.617 from India has doubled in parts of the country. This will also jeopardize the UK opening plan. "If the Indian variant spreads faster, the number of cases could rise again in some regions," the health expert told the

Tagesspiegel

.

Only last week the health authority Public Health England had classified the Indian variant as "worrying". On Monday (May 10th) the World Health Organization (WHO) followed suit.

It is important for the British that the vaccination rate quickly increases to over 60 percent, according to Lauterbach.

For Germany, with all due caution, he gives the slight all-clear: “In Germany we will probably be lucky and make ends meet.

We will probably be spared from widespread use because we do not have as many people from India as Great Britain. "

Lauterbach warns against the Indian variant - Great Britain as a warning example

Nevertheless, the variant from India should by no means be underestimated. “The main problem is that it is highly contagious. We can see that in the fact that it is spreading in the community and not just being brought in from India one by one, ”reports the epidemiologist. "We underestimated the variant at the beginning because it was assumed that it would only be so easy because of the conditions in India and that it is spreading so massively."

Containing the virus is currently difficult in India.

Because mass events such as religious festivals or sporting events are allowed and attended by tens of thousands of people, the variant spreads quickly.

In addition, the quota of those vaccinated for the first time is below ten percent.

According to Lauterbach, one thing will be important above all: “We absolutely have to avoid combining it with the South African variant B.1.351, which can elude the immune response of the vaccines even more.

In India the number of cases is so high that such mutations could arise. "

List of rubric lists: © Kay Nietfeld

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2021-05-15

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