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Race against corona mutants "long lost": virologist warns of easing

2021-02-09T09:31:36.647Z


The virologist Brinkmann warns of easing in February and draws a horror scenario for the rest of the year. She also declares the fight against the corona mutations as a failure.


The virologist Brinkmann warns of easing in February and draws a horror scenario for the rest of the year.

She also declares the fight against the corona mutations as a failure.

Braunschweig - The corona numbers are falling steadily.

New infections, incidences, the number of deaths and the burden in the hospitals are all going down.

Many people hope for improvement and thus also hope for easing.

But experts warn against premature openings and politicians also urge patience.

Corona in Germany: "Fatal" - Virologist Brinkmann warns of easing in February

Virologist Melanie Brinkmann from the Braunschweig Helmholtz Center does not believe in easing the corona measures in mid-February.

The hope that one could "loosen measures with an incidence of just under 50 and keep the virus in check" was "fatal," she told

Spiegel,

according to an advance notice on Friday.

“We don't stand a chance with this course.

The numbers would rise again immediately. "

That in turn will lead to new lockdowns "until 2022", warned the expert.

The current Corona measures apply until February 14th.

The Chancellor and the Prime Ministers of the federal states want to discuss how things will continue next Wednesday.

Brinkmann is part of the team of experts who advise the Chancellor and the state government in the pandemic.

In the past, Merkel often listened to the recommendations of the experts, who were viewed by other politicians as too radical.

Corona in Germany: virologist speaks of defeat against mutation - "the race is long lost"

Brinkmann referred to the combination of a lengthy vaccination campaign and mutated variants of the coronavirus.

“Maybe half of the population will be vaccinated by September if everything is going well,” she said.

Without a hard lockdown, this will inevitably lead to the new, more contagious mutants prevailing beforehand.

"We never get enough people vaccinated before the mutants hit," said the virologist.

"This race is long lost."

A statement that has not yet been made so clearly.

RKI boss Lothar Wieler did not comment on such a long lockdown at the federal press conference on February 5 and even spoke of cautious loosening of concepts.

However, Wieler also warned of the mutations: “These variants gave the virus a boost.

That is why it is important that easing - for example in daycare centers and schools - only takes place with concepts. ”Health Minister Spahn also does not want any restrictions that last the entire winter:“ You have to be able to act and react differently from region to region.

We can't stay in this tough lockdown all winter. "

Corona in Germany: Virologist advertises hard lockdown until Easter - Söder also cautiously

However, Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder warns against hasty decisions, also with a view to the debate about relaxation.

The task now is to muster the strength to end the therapy without another relapse.

“No one who advocates easing is wrong.

But we have to define the timing correctly. "

The vaccination will "only free us from the pandemic when it subsides worldwide", explained Brinkmann.

“And that will keep us busy in 2022 - and probably beyond.” The virologist is part of the “No Covid” research initiative.

The virologist pleaded in the

mirror

for a hard and consistently controlled lockdown in order to push the seven-day incidence below ten.

That could be done by Easter;

only then should openings begin, she said.

(md with AFP)

List of rubric lists: © Jürgen Heinrich via www.imago-images.de

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2021-02-09

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