Virologist Stöhr counters the expertise of the Corona Expert Council and reveals a crucial weakness
Created: 02/16/2022, 09:23
By: Bedrettin Bölükbasi
The virologist Klaus Stöhr criticized the changed objective of the Corona Expert Council.
© teutopress/Imago Images
The Corona Expert Council named the drop in pressure on hospitals as a goal to decide on easing.
Virologist Stöhr railed against it and accused ambiguity.
Munich – In Germany, but also in other countries, the incidence was for a long time the most important factor for assessing the corona infection process.
However, this value has been replaced as a benchmark by the burden on hospitals, particularly in recent months.
Above all, the omicron mutation was decisive here, since it is much more contagious, but has an easier course of the disease overall, which is also confirmed by several studies and statistics.
In order to relax or lift pandemic restrictions, politicians therefore only named avoiding overload in clinics as the main goal.
This gave many people high hopes, because according to current assessments, no overload is expected.
In the most recent statement by the Federal Government's Expert Council, however, a slightly different goal for easing the measures was given.
Virologist Klaus Stöhr criticized its lack of clarity.
Corona Expert Council: Statement confirms the role of the hospital burden for easing
In the statement of February 13 entitled "A responsible way of opening", the Expert Council confirmed the now subordinate role of incidence in determining measures.
Although hospital occupancy is still linked to incidence, “but with a lower conversion factor”.
The reason for this situation: "Increased 2 immunity in the population, weakening of the omicron variant based on the severity of the disease and the inclusion of the vaccinated in the infection process".
Instead, “hospitalization incidence and new admissions as well as new admissions and occupancy of the intensive care units with COVID-19 cases are now decisive parameters for assessing the burden on the healthcare system”.
In the current phase of the pandemic, the burden of disease and the burden on the health system must be the basis for assessment, the statement emphasized.
In the perspective for possible openings, it was then determined: "Reducing state infection control measures makes sense as soon as there is a stable drop in hospitalization and intensive care admissions and occupancy."
Corona Expert Council: Stöhr shoots against opinion – “unspecific starting point, unclear goal”
This statement met with criticism from the virologist Klaus Stöhr.
He denounced the changed and unclear objectives of the Corona Expert Council.
"In Germany, it is no longer about avoiding overloading the healthcare system as a key goal for minimizing the health, social and economic effects of SARS-CoV-2," wrote the virologist on Twitter.
Now it needs "an undefined 'decrease... in pressure on hospitals...'", Stöhr quoted the expert council as saying.
Apparently, the virologist, who repeatedly advocates openings, considers this statement by the Expert Council to be too vague and revealed a crucial weakness in the Expert Council's perspective - ambiguity.
He wrote: "From an unspecific starting point to an unclear goal." In fact, the statement does not reveal what the exact circumstances of a decreasing load would be like.
In addition, this is independent of the burden on the hospitals - "despite a clear statement from the DKG that there is no risk of overloading," Stöhr emphasized on Twitter.
He is referring to the head of the German Hospital Society (DKG) Gerald Gass.
He previously predicted to the
image
: "I currently do not expect the German health system to be overburdened in the coming weeks."
Corona summit: Massive easing is probably on the way - the draft resolution gives the exact date
Although Klaus Stöhr targeted the statements of the Expert Council because of ambiguity, the federal government believes that the necessary conditions for easing have now been met.
At the next Corona summit on Wednesday
(February 16)
, massive easing is to be determined according to the draft resolution.
A three-step plan is to be adopted to ease the pandemic restrictions.
From March 20th, a large part of the current regulations will therefore fall.
"By the beginning of spring on March 20, 2022, the far-reaching restrictions on social, cultural and economic life are to be gradually withdrawn," explains the draft resolution.
(bb)
