Do without lockdown and only rely on the protection of risk groups instead?
In the new episode of the NDR Corona podcast, virologist Sandra Ciesek rejects this strategy.
In the
NDR "Coronavirus Update"
,
virologist Ciesek
speaks out
against a risk group strategy in Germany
Even
younger people
are of
pre-existing conditions
affected and thus a heavy Corona history
According to a
current study
, pregnant women also belong to the
corona risk group
Frankfurt / Hamburg - Many Germans are frustrated and dissatisfied with the nationwide
tightened protective measures
in the fight against the
corona virus
.
Especially people who do not
belong to
any
risk group
themselves
and in whose environment no one has become seriously ill or even died doubt the tough decisions.
But some scientists and doctors are also proposing
the so-called “
risk group strategy
”
for
Germany
instead of a lockdown
.
The Frankfurt
virologist Sandra
Ciesek believes that simply locking up all risk groups in Germany is
absurd and not feasible.
The director of the
Institute for Medical Virology
at the Frankfurt University Hospital takes turns on the
NDR podcast "Coronavirus Update"
with her colleague
Christian Drosten
.
In the latest episode, Ciesek explains why such a strategy cannot be implemented.
What does it mean if you only want to protect the risk groups?
How many people are at risk for severe disease?
And what role do autoantibodies play against interferons?
https://t.co/dUKgRxcIMv
- Sandra Ciesek (@CiesekSandra) November 3, 2020
Corona podcast: virologist rejects risk group strategy - how many are affected?
The
Robert Koch Institute
* (RKI) lists
previous illnesses
that
carry
a risk of a particularly severe course of the
coronavirus
* in Germany.
Based on this RKI list, that would be
21.9 million people
, said Ciesek.
More than a quarter of Germans therefore had at least one of the pre-existing illnesses considered and thus a risk of a particularly
severe coronavirus course
.
"If you think about what that means:
21.9 million people
should be protected from the remaining 60 million, then I think you realize how insane and how difficult it is."
The virologist emphasizes in the Corona podcast
that the risk group is
not just old people
in Germany
who are already in nursing homes.
"Everyone thinks of the old grandma, who is 80 or 90 years old and lies in bed all day in the nursing home".
A third -
7.3 million people
- of these almost 22 million are
under 60 years of age
.
Young people around 20 also have previous illnesses.
In some cities or municipalities, these pre-existing illnesses are particularly common; according to an AOK study, in some places there are
43 percent pre-existing illnesses
.
“How is it possible to protect or isolate these risk groups in particular?” Asks Sandra Ciesek.
Virologist warns of previous illnesses in the coronavirus podcast: Pregnant women are also affected
Pregnant women infected with the coronavirus are more likely to become severely ill and die from Covid-19, and they're at increased risk for premature delivery, according to a pair of reports https://t.co/LjSpWqOtPL
- CNN (@CNN) November 3, 2020
In addition to respiratory, liver or kidney diseases, the
virologist
also
names
pregnant women as risk patients for a severe
coronavirus
* course.
According to a
study
from the USA
, "the risk of a pregnant woman being hospitalized is two to three times higher than that of non-pregnant women in the same age group," says Ciesek.
Coronavirus podcast: Ciesek gives the all-clear - severity of previous illness is decisive
Nevertheless, Christian Drosten's colleague gives the all-clear.
“You don't have to panic when you're pregnant.
Because the
absolute risk
is extremely low in this age group. ”In
addition, there is no danger
for the
growing child
in the womb.
In the case of people with previous illnesses, it is also difficult to make general statements.
After all, the
severity of the disease
plays
an immense role.
The #Corona incidence continues to rise in the particularly endangered age group 60+, shows the RKI situation report from the evening.
95% of the previous corona deaths in 🇩🇪 were 60 years old or older. @ Welt pic.twitter.com/EPxvI1vfkj
- Olaf Gersemann (@OlafGersemann) November 3, 2020
The
RKI management report
from the evening also shows: Most deaths due to
coronavirus disease
are over 60. (vs) *
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