Expert advice for adaptation of infection protection

Created: 08/03/2022, 21:35

On March 19th, all “more profound” corona restrictions in Germany will expire.

© Marcus Brandt/dpa

What's next with the Corona measures?

The Federal Government’s Expert Council demands that politicians must be able to react quickly even after the “more profound” restrictions have expired.

Berlin – With a view to the further course of the pandemic and future epidemics, the Federal Government’s Corona Expert Council is calling for infection protection measures to be adapted quickly.

"Response speed is a critical factor in successfully controlling infectious threats," said the panel's statement released on Tuesday evening.

The Expert Council emphatically pleads "for a legal framework that provides ad hoc instruments for infection and civil protection and thus enables infection protection measures to be adapted immediately".

Politicians are currently discussing which corona rules should still be possible after the planned elimination of all “more profound” restrictions on March 20th.

According to the Federal Government, 18 of the 19 members agreed to the latest Expert Council statement.

They state that the Covid-19 pandemic is currently characterized by the reduced average severity of the omicron variant.

There is "justified hope that the social impact will be alleviated", which is primarily due to the protective effect of the vaccination against severe courses.

Expert advice: Fast reaction to new variants

"However, from a scientific point of view, a reappearance of the delta variant or related variants, the occurrence of cross-breeding forms with increased danger with preserved immune escape as well as the occurrence of new variants with a further loss of the pre-existing immune protection are possible." The occurrence of new virus variants usually requires quick reactions to ensure effective protection against infection.

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The vaccination protection achieved so far in the population against infection and transmission of the virus will most likely decrease by the winter.

The vaccination continues to protect against serious illness - however, it can be assumed that the immune protection of the general population will not be sufficient to prevent a renewed increase in the incidence.

Therefore, without control measures, there will be a significant number of infections again in the foreseeable future, “although the severity and burden of the disease cannot be predicted at the moment”.

"Therefore, a renewed system load cannot be ruled out," the experts warn.

"Against this background, emergency strategies should be developed and implemented at any time for successful pandemic control," was the conclusion.

These considerations would also apply to future pandemics, epidemics and infection-related dangers.

dpa