When will Corona become normal?

Chief virologist with a clear prognosis

Created: 2022-02-05, 21:02

By: Patrick Huljina

The chief virologist at Heidelberg University Hospital: Hans-Georg Kräusslich.

(Archive image) © Christoph Schmidt/dpa

Corona has been determining everyday life for two years now.

However, it will be a while before the virus becomes normal, says chief virologist Hans-Georg Krausslich.

Heidelberg – record incidences, new highs in new corona infections almost every day – the omicron wave is currently rolling over Germany.

Nevertheless, calls for the measures to be relaxed soon are getting louder.

Although the new variant is more contagious, the number of severe courses is significantly lower than, for example, with the Delta variant.

According to Hans-Georg Krausslich, it will be a while before the corona virus * is relaxed.

Chief virologist: Corona must become “social and political normality”.

"I think we will only achieve normality if we can recognize that we can deal with the virus, even if it will stay," said the chief virologist at Heidelberg University Hospital of the

on Saturday.

"In the future we have to get it into our heads that Corona will also become a social and political normality - and not just a medical normality, even if it can make you sick," explained the doctor.

"At the moment we are neither medical nor social and political, but that has to be the goal."

If the corona vaccinations * progress, protective measures are observed, especially in endangered areas, no new variants with completely different properties come and people anchor Corona * as one disease among others in their heads, "we will achieve the longed-for normality," Krausslich continued .

"But I think we still have to work on that."

Kräusslich: "No longer staring at the seven-day incidence like the rabbit in front of the snake"

The virologist admitted that there would still be corona infections, severe courses and deaths.

"But they also exist with other diseases." Society would then no longer have to focus so much on this virus.

"Only when we can say that this is one infectious disease among others and also acknowledge this, will we achieve normality.

And then stop staring at the seven-day incidence* like the rabbit in front of the snake,” says Krausslich.

Then even asymptomatic people would no longer be routinely tested, explained Kräusslich in an interview.

"We don't test asymptomatic people for flu or any other virus." However, the chief virologist also made it clear that Corona is a different disease with a different course.