Virologist Christian Drosten spoke in the NDR podcast about the corona infection rate in children - and also spoke about the criticism of his study.
- Virologist Christian Drosten * is one of the leading experts in the corona pandemic and head of the Institute of Virology at the Charité in Berlin.
- The scientist speaks regularly in an NDR podcast about the current situation in Germany and the state of research.
- Drosten is extremely concerned about corona development in children (see first report).
- Here you will find the basic facts about the corona virus * and the corona news from Germany. You can also find current case numbers in Germany here as a map *. The following recommendations for Corona protective measures * are currently available.
Update of June 4, 2020: Christian Drosten's study on the risk of corona infection in children has caused a lot of fuss. The focus of the criticism was on the statistical methods of the work. In the meantime, the study has been revised.
Drosten explains in the current issue of the NDR podcast (episode 46: Update confirms virus load study) that the results were evaluated with two different machines - which were used at different times.
Coronavirus: Drosten study revised - however, the core argument remains
The first series of tests was used particularly in the initial phase of the corona crisis , when tests were increasingly made available from the outpatient area and the viral load in the throat was therefore generally higher. This resulted in fewer differences between children and adults than in the second series of tests. In this, samples of children who were already in the hospital and were therefore possibly in a later stage of the disease were increasingly used. Adult tests, however, continued to come from the first series of tests.
“In the post-analysis, we looked at both machines separately,” says Drosten . In the first case, the results are ultimately “more realistic” because both surveys of the viral load - those of children and adults - come from the same stage. The virologist therefore remains essentially in his argument that the viral load in children may not be significantly different from that of adults. This view is "unchanged and sharpened". At the same time, the virologist of the Berlin Charité adapts his interpretation.
Coronavirus: Christian Drosten on criticism - "This is of course sheer nonsense"
Drosten now gives "a recommendation for close monitoring of the situation" in schools and daycare centers. In April he had advised against opening the schools completely. These statements should not, however, be rated as "political advice", but rather as "part of the scientific work."
The 48-year-old ultimately feels misunderstood on this point: “That is also what some newspapers have misunderstood in the current media discussion, especially in the past ten days. In the end it even said that the government had taken this study to make its decisions. Of course this is sheer nonsense. This is not the case and it just doesn't work that way. "
Regarding the criticism, the virologist emphasizes: "If there had been any indication anywhere that this study was wrong, I would have taken it off our homepage immediately and also publicly stated that I hereby withdraw this study. But there was never a reason for that. "
Drosten worried about corona development in children: "What we see more recently ..."
First report from June 3, 2020: Berlin - Despite the easing, the number of new corona infections remains stable. According to Corona expert Christian Drosten, the measures to contain the corona virus in Germany are working . This is due to several effects, says the virologist in the NDR podcast (episode 45. "Take the distance requirement seriously outside"). The incidence - that is, how many people fall ill in a certain period of time - is very low. Among other things, it was an outstanding success in Germany to slow down the infection process.
There were also new findings, such as that the coronavirus would spread to large crowds, especially indoors, because of the aerosol component. The distance requirement should therefore continue to be taken seriously.
Corona infections in Germany: Drosten worried about numbers in children and adolescents
When it comes to infection, however, Drosten is concerned about corona developments in children, as he says in the NDR podcast. The age group of children and adolescents showed a sharp increase in corona infections at the beginning of the lockdown.
In Germany, people between the ages of 30 and 60 in particular were initially infected with the virus. As a result, the older ones were particularly affected. There were many corona outbreaks in retirement and nursing homes.
"But what we see more recently is an increase in the age cohort 20 to 29 and 10 to 19 . And if you look closely: even zero to nine, ”says Drosten. The virologist refers to the RKI situation report from June 1, and in particular Figure 6.
The virologist emphasizes that the situation reports of the Robert Koch Institute are intended for a specialist audience that would be published for doctors and health authorities. But Drosten tries to explain numbers, statistics and correlations.
In a situation report dated May 26, the RKI presented the corona infection process in the population differently by age, namely after reporting weeks (Figure seven). The graphic shows the development of the age groups between calendar week 10 (March 2 to 8, 2020) and the 21 calendar week (May 18 to 24, 2020).
Corona in Germany: Virologist Drosten observes "diffusion phenomena" in children
Drosten pays particular attention to the age group zero to nine years and ten to 19 years in the calendar week twelve to 21. "They almost double in time," said Drosten. The younger children would also fully participate in this doubling.
RKI situation report from May 26th Figure seven.
© RKI graphic
“It almost looks as if they will increase a little faster than zero between nine and nine years. This is memorable because the time we are talking about is essentially the time that schools were closed relatively soon, ”says Drosten.
These are so-called “diffusion phenomena” with Christian Drosten. Children could also become infected in households. Despite school closure, the infection in children continued to increase.
"We are now opening them with a low basic incidence, but with a shifted situation for the children," emphasizes Drosten. In his opinion, it is important to keep this in mind for the school opening. Also when evaluating the number of cases if daycare centers and schools were opened.
Corona infectivity of children - Drosten remains with the thesis of his study
Infectivity in children is the subject of a study by virologist Christian Drosten. A first draft of the investigation was published at the end of April and caused a stir. There was also criticism.
Now the team around Drosten has published a revised and expanded version. Drosten maintains his thesis that children spread the virus in a similar way to adults. There is no evidence that children may not be as contagious as adults, according to the work published by the Berlin Charité.
Corona in Germany: Virologist Drosten recommends caution in schools and day care centers
The 28-page text that has now been published is still a so-called preprint, which is not yet due for publication in a scientific journal, but must be discussed scientifically as usual.
Drosten is one of the most important scientific advisors to the federal government in the measures to curb the coronavirus pandemic. The statement about infectivity of children could have consequences for the extent to which children can go to daycare centers and schools in the coming time. The publication states that "caution and careful monitoring" is recommended when lifting the current restrictions.
Christian Drosten has made a name for himself with sound expert opinions since the outbreak of the corona pandemic. The corona virologist also has to suffer from this - something that colleagues are also responsible for.
Virologist Drosten is currently relieved that the corona pandemic in Germany has so far been fairly light. But he also has a fear that scares himself.
Jürgen Klopp is now at Drosten's side in Bild-Zoff and is terribly upset about how he deals with the scientist.
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* Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network.
List of rubric lists: © dpa / Michael Kappeler