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Christian Drosten, Karl Lauterbach and Lothar Wieler
Photo: Kay Nietfeld / dpa
At a joint press conference, Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, the head of the Robert Koch Institute Lothar Wieler and Charité chief virologist Christian Drosten once again emphasized the seriousness of the current corona situation.
The corona measures slowed down the infection process in Germany, said Lauterbach.
There is currently no reason to give the all-clear.
Drosten added a little later that he expected an endemic condition by the end of the year.
You can't keep vaccinating people over and over again.
But against Omikron an update vaccination could be necessary.
Lauterbach warned against the idea that “in Germany we can accept a contagion”.
"The number of victims that we would then have to mourn is uncertain, is certainly too high," he said.
Drosten also does not believe in relying on an infection of the population in Germany.
"The virus has to run at some point," said Drosten.
"We don't know if we can afford it." One of the reasons for this is the lack of vaccinations, especially among older people.
In the summer you will be able to have an open social life, said Drosten.
The decisive factor is how things will continue in the coming winter – whether sufficient immunity will then have been achieved.
Lauterbach wants to slow down infection dynamics
The goal is to stretch the inevitable - i.e. the omicron wave - in such a way that enough people can be boosted during this time, said Lauterbach.
The SPD politician explained that data on the fact that the course of an infection with the omicron variant of the corona virus is not so difficult cannot be transferred to Germany.
The reason: In Germany there are a particularly large number of older people who are not vaccinated.
Drosten added: The course of an omicron infection is usually milder, but there are too many cases.
It's not all over with the omicron wave now, said Lauterbach.
The hospitals would be under greater strain again in the foreseeable future.
»Covid-19 is spreading in Germany more than ever«
"Omicron has changed the situation," said RKI boss Wieler.
"Covid-19 is spreading in Germany like never before." The number of deaths has not yet increased again: "But that will change." Every infection that can be prevented helps to combat the wave.
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